Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 58.9% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Republic of Korea, 1990–2022
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 Republic of Korea stood at 58.9%.
The figure is up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Republic of Korea peaked at 68.5% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 54.7%, in 2005.
Republic of Korea ranks 93rd of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 68.5% | — |
| 1991 | 67.2% | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 65.9% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 64.6% | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 63.5% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 62.3% | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 61.2% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 60.1% | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 61.2% | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 61.5% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 61.9% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 58.3% | -5.7% |
| 2002 | 55.2% | -5.4% |
| 2003 | 56.1% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 57.2% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 54.7% | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 58.3% | +6.7% |
| 2007 | 58.2% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 58.1% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 58.0% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 57.9% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 57.9% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 57.8% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 57.7% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 57.6% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 59.2% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 58.9% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 58.9% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 58.9% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 58.9% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 58.9% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 58.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 58.9% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 63.6% | 60.1% | 68.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 57.6% | 54.7% | 61.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.4% | 57.6% | 59.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.9% | 58.9% | 58.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
- 90 Costa Rica 60.7% compare
- 91 Rwanda 60.1% compare
- 92 South Africa 59.4% compare
- 94 Fiji 58.9% compare
- 95 Kazakhstan 56.7% compare
- 96 Guatemala 56.7% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Republic of Korea
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 0.2516 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0146 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 530.46 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1591 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1883 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Republic of Korea?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Republic of Korea was 58.9% 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 Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 68.5% in 1990.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.7% in 2005.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Republic of Korea ranks 93rd out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Republic of Korea 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.