Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 51.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in United Arab Emirates, 1980–2022
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
United Arab Emirates recorded 51.2% for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022.
The figure is up 12.1% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in United Arab Emirates peaked at 82.8% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 45.7%, in 2021.
United Arab Emirates ranks 103rd of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 80.0% | — |
| 1981 | 78.1% | -2.4% |
| 1982 | 76.5% | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 75.1% | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 73.9% | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 72.9% | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 71.9% | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 71.1% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 70.4% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 69.7% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 69.1% | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 68.6% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 68.1% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 67.6% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 67.2% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 66.8% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 69.8% | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 72.4% | +3.7% |
| 1998 | 74.7% | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 76.7% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 78.5% | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 80.1% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 81.5% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 82.8% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 82.8% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 82.8% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 78.9% | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 75.2% | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 71.7% | -4.7% |
| 2009 | 68.3% | -4.8% |
| 2010 | 65.0% | -4.8% |
| 2011 | 61.9% | -4.8% |
| 2012 | 58.9% | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 56.0% | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 53.2% | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 50.5% | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 48.0% | -5.1% |
| 2017 | 47.4% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 47.8% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 47.3% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 46.5% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 45.7% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 51.2% | +12.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 74.0% | 69.7% | 80.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 70.1% | 66.8% | 76.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.3% | 68.3% | 82.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.6% | 47.3% | 65.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.8% | 45.7% | 51.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
- 100 Jordan 51.6% compare
- 101 Côte d'Ivoire 51.6% compare
- 102 Burkina Faso 51.4% compare
- 104 Italy 50.2% compare
- 105 Palestine, State of 49.2% compare
- 106 Israel 48.4% compare
More agriculture & rural data for United Arab Emirates
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0077 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 386.83 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 3.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1404 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.8% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.4% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in United Arab Emirates?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in United Arab Emirates was 51.2% 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 United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 82.8% in 2003.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.7% in 2021.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 103rd out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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.