Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Italy
Italy: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 50.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Italy, 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
Italy recorded 50.2% for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Italy peaked at 61.5% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 25.3%, in 2008.
That places Italy 104th out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Italy, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 61.5% | — |
| 1971 | 60.4% | -1.9% |
| 1972 | 59.2% | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 58.1% | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 57.0% | -1.9% |
| 1975 | 55.9% | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 54.9% | -1.9% |
| 1977 | 53.8% | -1.9% |
| 1978 | 52.9% | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 51.9% | -1.8% |
| 1980 | 50.9% | -1.8% |
| 1981 | 51.2% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 51.5% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 51.7% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 52.0% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 52.3% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 52.6% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 52.9% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 53.2% | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 53.6% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 53.9% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 52.9% | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 51.8% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 50.8% | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 49.8% | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 48.9% | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 48.0% | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 47.0% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 46.1% | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 44.6% | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 44.1% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 43.5% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 42.8% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 42.1% | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 41.3% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 40.5% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 39.5% | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 38.4% | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 25.3% | -34.2% |
| 2009 | 42.2% | +67.1% |
| 2010 | 44.1% | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 46.0% | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 47.8% | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 49.7% | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 49.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 49.7% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 49.9% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 50.0% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 50.1% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 50.1% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 50.2% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 50.3% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 50.2% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 56.5% | 51.9% | 61.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 52.2% | 50.9% | 53.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 49.4% | 44.6% | 53.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.0% | 25.3% | 44.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.7% | 44.1% | 50.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 50.2% | 50.2% | 50.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Italy
- 101 Côte d'Ivoire 51.6% compare
- 102 Burkina Faso 51.4% compare
- 103 United Arab Emirates 51.2% compare
- 105 Palestine, State of 49.2% compare
- 106 Israel 48.4% compare
- 107 Mauritius 47.9% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Italy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.12 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0207 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 894.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3131 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3032 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Italy?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Italy was 50.2% 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 61.5% in 1970.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.3% in 2008.
- How does Italy rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Italy ranks 104th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy 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.