Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Ghana
Ghana: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 73.1% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Ghana, 1970–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
In 2022, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Ghana stood at 73.1%.
The figure is down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Ghana peaked at 74.8% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 52.0%, in 1970.
Ghana ranks 68th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Ghana, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 52.0% | — |
| 1971 | 53.5% | +2.8% |
| 1972 | 54.7% | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 55.8% | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 56.8% | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 57.7% | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 58.5% | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 59.2% | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 59.8% | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 60.4% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 60.9% | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 61.4% | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 61.9% | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 62.3% | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 62.7% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 63.0% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 63.4% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 63.7% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 64.0% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 64.2% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 64.5% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 64.7% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 65.0% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 65.2% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 65.4% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 65.6% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 65.7% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 65.9% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 66.1% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 66.2% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 66.4% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 67.2% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 68.0% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 68.7% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 69.4% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 70.0% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 70.6% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 71.2% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 71.8% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 72.4% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 72.9% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 73.2% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 73.4% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 74.1% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 74.8% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 72.6% | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 73.1% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 73.1% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 73.1% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 73.1% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 73.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 73.1% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 73.1% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 56.8% | 52.0% | 60.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 62.7% | 60.9% | 64.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 65.4% | 64.5% | 66.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.6% | 66.4% | 72.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.3% | 72.6% | 74.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.1% | 73.1% | 73.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More agriculture & rural data for Ghana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 41.79 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2128 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 692.99 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4821 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4108 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 21.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 21.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Ghana?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Ghana was 73.1% in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 74.8% in 2014.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.0% in 1970.
- How does Ghana rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Ghana ranks 68th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ghana data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Agricultural water withdrawals as a percentage of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of water used for agriculture, industry and domestic purposes). Agricultural water is defined as the annual quantity of self-supplied water withdrawn for irrigation, livestock and aquaculture purposes.