Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Israel
Israel: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 48.4% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Israel, 1970–2021
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 2021, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Israel stood at 48.4%.
That represents a change of down 2.8% on the previous year and down 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Israel peaked at 79.9% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 43.3%, in 2017.
That places Israel 106th out of 180 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Israel, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 79.9% | — |
| 1971 | 79.1% | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 78.3% | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 77.6% | -1.0% |
| 1974 | 76.8% | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 76.1% | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 75.4% | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 74.7% | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 74.0% | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 73.3% | -0.9% |
| 1980 | 72.6% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 72.6% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 72.6% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 72.6% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 72.6% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 72.6% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 72.6% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 71.4% | -1.7% |
| 1988 | 70.1% | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 68.8% | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 67.4% | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 67.4% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 67.4% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 67.4% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 67.4% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 67.4% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 65.7% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 64.0% | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 62.3% | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 60.7% | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 59.1% | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 57.5% | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 55.8% | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 56.2% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 57.8% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 57.3% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 56.8% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 56.4% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 55.9% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 55.3% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 57.3% | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 56.3% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 55.3% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 54.4% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 53.5% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 52.6% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 55.6% | +5.7% |
| 2017 | 43.3% | -22.1% |
| 2018 | 51.7% | +19.2% |
| 2019 | 51.4% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 49.8% | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 48.4% | -2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 76.5% | 73.3% | 79.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 71.9% | 68.8% | 72.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 65.7% | 60.7% | 67.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 56.8% | 55.3% | 59.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.1% | 43.3% | 57.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 49.1% | 48.4% | 49.8% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Israel
More agriculture & rural data for Israel
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -2.5 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0129 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 696.75 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.7021 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0842 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.3% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Israel?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Israel was 48.4% in 2021, 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 Israel?
- The highest recorded value was 79.9% in 1970.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Israel?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.3% in 2017.
- How does Israel rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Israel ranks 106th out of 180 countries with data for 2021.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Israel?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Israel 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.
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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.