Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in South Africa
South Africa: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 59.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in South Africa, 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
The most recent figure for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in South Africa is 59.4%, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in South Africa peaked at 72.0% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 57.8%, in 2018.
That places South Africa 92nd 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 33 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 72.0% | — |
| 1991 | 71.1% | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 70.2% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 69.3% | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 68.4% | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 67.5% | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 66.3% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 65.0% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 63.8% | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 62.5% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 61.3% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 61.4% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 61.5% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 61.6% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 61.7% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 61.8% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 61.9% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 62.0% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 62.1% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 62.2% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 62.3% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 62.4% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 62.4% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 62.5% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 61.6% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 60.8% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 59.5% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 58.8% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 57.8% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 60.8% | +5.2% |
| 2020 | 62.5% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 61.3% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 59.4% | -3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 67.6% | 62.5% | 72.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 61.7% | 61.3% | 62.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.9% | 57.8% | 62.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.1% | 59.4% | 62.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in South Africa?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in South Africa was 59.4% 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 72.0% in 1990.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 57.8% in 2018.
- How does South Africa rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- South Africa ranks 92nd out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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.