Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sweden
Sweden: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 4.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sweden, 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
Sweden recorded 4.9% for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 42.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sweden peaked at 5.9% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 2015.
Sweden ranks 160th of 180 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sweden, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 3.2% | — |
| 1971 | 3.3% | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 3.3% | +0.4% |
| 1973 | 3.3% | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 3.3% | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 3.3% | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 3.3% | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 3.4% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 3.4% | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 3.4% | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 3.4% | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 3.4% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3.4% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3.4% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3.4% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3.4% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3.9% | +14.2% |
| 1987 | 4.4% | +12.4% |
| 1988 | 4.9% | +11.1% |
| 1989 | 5.3% | +10.0% |
| 1990 | 5.4% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 5.6% | +4.3% |
| 1992 | 5.9% | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 5.7% | -2.8% |
| 1994 | 5.5% | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 5.3% | -3.2% |
| 1996 | 5.4% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 5.5% | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 5.5% | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 5.6% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 5.6% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 5.0% | -9.5% |
| 2002 | 5.0% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 5.1% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 5.1% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | -19.7% |
| 2006 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3.9% | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 3.8% | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 3.6% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 3.6% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 3.5% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 3.4% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 3.3% | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | +10.0% |
| 2017 | 3.8% | +9.6% |
| 2018 | 4.2% | +9.3% |
| 2019 | 4.5% | +9.0% |
| 2020 | 4.1% | -9.5% |
| 2021 | 4.9% | +20.1% |
| 2022 | 4.9% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.9% | 3.4% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.6% | 5.3% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.6% | 3.8% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.6% | 3.2% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.7% | 4.1% | 4.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More agriculture & rural data for Sweden
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 15.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.015 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 949.09 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1092 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 3.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sweden?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Sweden was 4.9% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9% in 1992.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 2015.
- How does Sweden rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Sweden ranks 160th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden 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.