Agricultural water withdrawals in Libya
Libya: Agricultural water withdrawals was 4.85 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4.85 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
52nd
of 180 countries
All-time high
4.85 billion cubic meters
in 2012
All-time low
1.97 billion cubic meters
in 1985
Years of data
39
1985–2023
Agricultural water withdrawals in Libya, 1985–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
The most recent figure for agricultural water withdrawals in Libya is 4.85 billion cubic meters, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water withdrawals in Libya peaked at 4.85 billion cubic meters in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1.97 billion cubic meters, in 1985.
Libya ranks 52nd of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.
Agricultural water withdrawals in Libya, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1.97 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1986 | 2.43 billion cubic meters | +23.6% |
| 1987 | 2.89 billion cubic meters | +19.1% |
| 1988 | 3.35 billion cubic meters | +16.0% |
| 1989 | 3.82 billion cubic meters | +13.8% |
| 1990 | 4.28 billion cubic meters | +12.1% |
| 1991 | 4.21 billion cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 4.14 billion cubic meters | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 4.07 billion cubic meters | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 4.00 billion cubic meters | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 3.93 billion cubic meters | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 3.86 billion cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 3.79 billion cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 3.72 billion cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 3.65 billion cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 3.58 billion cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 3.67 billion cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 3.76 billion cubic meters | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 3.85 billion cubic meters | +2.4% |
| 2004 | 3.94 billion cubic meters | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 4.03 billion cubic meters | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 4.15 billion cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 4.27 billion cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 4.38 billion cubic meters | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 4.50 billion cubic meters | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 4.62 billion cubic meters | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 4.73 billion cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 4.85 billion cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 4.85 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 4.85 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 4.85 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4.85 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 4.85 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4.85 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4.85 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4.85 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4.85 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4.85 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4.85 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 4.85 billion cubic meters is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.89 billion cubic meters, 2.6× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Libya's 4.85 billion cubic meters is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2.88 billion cubic meters, 1.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.89 billion cubic meters | 1.97 billion cubic meters | 3.82 billion cubic meters | 5 |
| 1990s | 3.97 billion cubic meters | 3.65 billion cubic meters | 4.28 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.02 billion cubic meters | 3.58 billion cubic meters | 4.50 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.82 billion cubic meters | 4.62 billion cubic meters | 4.85 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.85 billion cubic meters | 4.85 billion cubic meters | 4.85 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Libya
More agriculture & rural data for Libya
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -37.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.015 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 96.79 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.835 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1209 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 0.0% (2019)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.4% (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water withdrawals in Libya?
- Agricultural water withdrawals in Libya was 4.85 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 Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 4.85 billion cubic meters in 2012.
- What is the lowest agricultural water withdrawals recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.97 billion cubic meters in 1985.
- How does Libya rank for agricultural water withdrawals?
- Libya ranks 52nd out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural water withdrawals rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Libya 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year for irrigation, livestock, and aquaculture.