Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Nigeria
Nigeria: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 44.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Nigeria, 1987–2022
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 Nigeria stood at 44.2%. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Nigeria peaked at 70.1% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 44.2%, in 2010.
That places Nigeria 110th 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 36 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 70.1% | — |
| 1988 | 67.9% | -3.2% |
| 1989 | 65.9% | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 64.2% | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 62.6% | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 61.2% | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 59.9% | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 58.8% | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 57.7% | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 56.7% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 55.8% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 55.0% | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 54.2% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 53.5% | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 52.2% | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 51.0% | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 49.8% | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 48.7% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 47.6% | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 46.9% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 46.2% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 45.5% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 44.8% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 44.2% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 44.2% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 44.2% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 44.2% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 44.2% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 44.2% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 44.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 44.2% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 44.2% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 44.2% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 44.2% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 44.2% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 44.2% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 68.0% | 65.9% | 70.1% | 3 |
| 1990s | 58.6% | 54.2% | 64.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.6% | 44.8% | 53.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.2% | 44.2% | 44.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.2% | 44.2% | 44.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Nigeria?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Nigeria was 44.2% 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 70.1% in 1987.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.2% in 2010.
- How does Nigeria rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Nigeria ranks 110th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.