Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in United States of America
United States of America: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 39.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in United States of America, 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 States of America recorded 39.7% for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022. That is the highest value across all 43 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in United States of America peaked at 39.7% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 24.0%, in 1980.
That places United States of America 112th out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in United States of America, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 24.0% | — |
| 1981 | 25.1% | +4.8% |
| 1982 | 26.3% | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 27.4% | +4.3% |
| 1984 | 28.5% | +4.0% |
| 1985 | 29.6% | +3.8% |
| 1986 | 30.7% | +3.6% |
| 1987 | 31.7% | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 32.8% | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 33.8% | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 34.8% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 34.8% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 34.9% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 34.9% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 34.9% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 35.0% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 35.0% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 35.0% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 35.1% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 35.1% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 35.1% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 34.9% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 34.7% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 34.5% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 34.3% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 34.1% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 34.5% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 34.8% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 35.2% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 35.6% | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 36.1% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 36.7% | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 37.4% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 38.1% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 38.9% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 39.7% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 39.7% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 39.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 39.7% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 39.7% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 39.7% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 39.7% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 39.7% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 29.0% | 24.0% | 33.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.0% | 34.8% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.8% | 34.1% | 35.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.6% | 36.1% | 39.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.7% | 39.7% | 39.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More agriculture & rural data for United States of America
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 11.96 % change on previous year (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0094 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2021)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 673.66 current US$ per person (2021)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.1831 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1981 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.9% (2021)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.9% (2021)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in United States of America?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in United States of America was 39.7% 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 States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 39.7% in 2015.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.0% in 1980.
- How does United States of America rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- United States of America ranks 112th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States of America 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.