Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Zambia
Zambia: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 73.3% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Zambia, 1992–2022
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
Zambia recorded 73.3% for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Zambia peaked at 77.3% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 73.3%, in 2002.
Zambia ranks 67th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 76.6% | — |
| 1993 | 76.9% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 77.3% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 76.7% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 76.2% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 75.7% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 75.1% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 74.5% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 74.0% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 73.6% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 73.3% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 73.3% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 76.1% | 74.5% | 77.3% | 8 |
| 2000s | 73.4% | 73.3% | 74.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.3% | 73.3% | 73.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.3% | 73.3% | 73.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 64 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 73.9% compare
- 65 Iraq 73.5% compare
- 66 Honduras 73.3% compare
- 68 Ghana 73.1% compare
- 69 Mozambique 73.0% compare
- 70 El Salvador 72.8% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Zambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 65.37 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0411 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 54.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5408 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 4.1% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 4.1% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Zambia?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Zambia was 73.3% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 77.3% in 1994.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 73.3% in 2002.
- How does Zambia rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Zambia ranks 67th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Zambia 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.