Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 87.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sri Lanka, 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
Sri Lanka recorded 87.4% for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sri Lanka peaked at 96.0% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 87.4%, in 2005.
Sri Lanka ranks 34th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 96.0% | — |
| 1991 | 95.5% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 95.1% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 94.6% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 94.2% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 93.9% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 93.5% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 93.2% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 92.8% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 92.5% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 92.2% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 91.3% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 90.3% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 89.3% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 88.3% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 87.4% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 94.1% | 92.5% | 96.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 88.8% | 87.4% | 92.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 87.4% | 87.4% | 87.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.4% | 87.4% | 87.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 31 Bangladesh 87.8% compare
- 32 Morocco 87.8% compare
- 33 Syrian Arab Republic 87.5% compare
- 35 Zimbabwe 87.2% compare
- 36 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 87.1% compare
- 37 Türkiye 86.9% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sri Lanka?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sri Lanka was 87.4% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 96.0% in 1990.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 87.4% in 2005.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Sri Lanka ranks 34th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.