Agricultural water withdrawals in Nigeria
Nigeria: Agricultural water withdrawals was 5.51 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
5.51 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
50th
of 180 countries
All-time high
5.51 billion cubic meters
in 2000
All-time low
3.92 billion cubic meters
in 1987
Years of data
37
1987–2023
Agricultural water withdrawals in Nigeria, 1987–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 5.51 billion cubic meters for agricultural water withdrawals in 2023. That is the highest value across all 37 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water withdrawals in Nigeria peaked at 5.51 billion cubic meters in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.92 billion cubic meters, in 1987.
That places Nigeria 50th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Agricultural water withdrawals in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 3.92 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1988 | 4.04 billion cubic meters | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 4.16 billion cubic meters | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 4.29 billion cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 4.41 billion cubic meters | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 4.53 billion cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 4.65 billion cubic meters | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 4.78 billion cubic meters | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 4.90 billion cubic meters | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 5.02 billion cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 1997 | 5.14 billion cubic meters | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 5.27 billion cubic meters | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 5.39 billion cubic meters | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5.51 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.04 billion cubic meters | 3.92 billion cubic meters | 4.16 billion cubic meters | 3 |
| 1990s | 4.84 billion cubic meters | 4.29 billion cubic meters | 5.39 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.51 billion cubic meters | 5.51 billion cubic meters | 5.51 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.51 billion cubic meters | 5.51 billion cubic meters | 5.51 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.51 billion cubic meters | 5.51 billion cubic meters | 5.51 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 47 Kyrgyzstan 7.10 billion cubic meters compare
- 48 Lao People's Democratic Republic 7.05 billion cubic meters compare
- 49 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 6.61 billion cubic meters compare
- 51 Mali 5.08 billion cubic meters compare
- 52 Libya 4.85 billion cubic meters compare
- 53 Tanzania, United Republic of 4.63 billion cubic meters compare
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3622 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water withdrawals in Nigeria?
- Agricultural water withdrawals in Nigeria was 5.51 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 5.51 billion cubic meters in 2000.
- What is the lowest agricultural water withdrawals recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.92 billion cubic meters in 1987.
- How does Nigeria rank for agricultural water withdrawals?
- Nigeria ranks 50th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural water withdrawals rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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
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About this data
Water withdrawn each year for irrigation, livestock, and aquaculture.