Agricultural water withdrawals in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Agricultural water withdrawals was 9.69 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Agricultural water withdrawals in Ethiopia, 2002–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 9.69 billion cubic meters for agricultural water withdrawals in 2023. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water withdrawals in Ethiopia peaked at 9.69 billion cubic meters in 2016 and was at its lowest, 5.20 billion cubic meters, in 2002.
That places Ethiopia 39th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Agricultural water withdrawals in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 5.20 billion cubic meters | — |
| 2003 | 5.80 billion cubic meters | +11.5% |
| 2004 | 6.40 billion cubic meters | +10.3% |
| 2005 | 7.00 billion cubic meters | +9.4% |
| 2006 | 7.24 billion cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 7.49 billion cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 7.73 billion cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 7.98 billion cubic meters | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 8.22 billion cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 8.47 billion cubic meters | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 8.71 billion cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 8.95 billion cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 9.20 billion cubic meters | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 9.44 billion cubic meters | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 9.69 billion cubic meters | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 9.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 9.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 9.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 9.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 9.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 9.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 9.69 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.86 billion cubic meters | 5.20 billion cubic meters | 7.98 billion cubic meters | 8 |
| 2010s | 9.17 billion cubic meters | 8.22 billion cubic meters | 9.69 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.69 billion cubic meters | 9.69 billion cubic meters | 9.69 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More agriculture & rural data for Ethiopia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -20.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3282 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 306.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7589 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 32.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 32.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water withdrawals in Ethiopia?
- Agricultural water withdrawals in Ethiopia was 9.69 billion cubic meters in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural water withdrawals recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 9.69 billion cubic meters in 2016.
- What is the lowest agricultural water withdrawals recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.20 billion cubic meters in 2002.
- How does Ethiopia rank for agricultural water withdrawals?
- Ethiopia ranks 39th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural water withdrawals rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Water withdrawn each year for irrigation, livestock, and aquaculture.