Agricultural water withdrawals in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Agricultural water withdrawals was 2.12 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2.12 billion cubic meters
Change on year
down 14.1%
World rank
71st
of 180 countries
All-time high
3.31 billion cubic meters
in 2005
All-time low
720.00 million cubic meters
in 1980
Years of data
44
1980–2023
Agricultural water withdrawals in United Arab Emirates, 1980–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
In 2023, agricultural water withdrawals in United Arab Emirates stood at 2.12 billion cubic meters.
The figure is down 14.1% on the previous year and down 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water withdrawals in United Arab Emirates peaked at 3.31 billion cubic meters in 2005 and was at its lowest, 720.00 million cubic meters, in 1980.
That places United Arab Emirates 71st 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 44 years of available data.
Agricultural water withdrawals in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 720.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 765.87 million cubic meters | +6.4% |
| 1982 | 811.73 million cubic meters | +6.0% |
| 1983 | 857.60 million cubic meters | +5.7% |
| 1984 | 903.47 million cubic meters | +5.3% |
| 1985 | 949.33 million cubic meters | +5.1% |
| 1986 | 995.20 million cubic meters | +4.8% |
| 1987 | 1.04 billion cubic meters | +4.6% |
| 1988 | 1.09 billion cubic meters | +4.4% |
| 1989 | 1.13 billion cubic meters | +4.2% |
| 1990 | 1.18 billion cubic meters | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 1.22 billion cubic meters | +3.9% |
| 1992 | 1.27 billion cubic meters | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 1.32 billion cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 1.36 billion cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 1995 | 1.41 billion cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 1.58 billion cubic meters | +12.4% |
| 1997 | 1.76 billion cubic meters | +11.0% |
| 1998 | 1.93 billion cubic meters | +9.9% |
| 1999 | 2.10 billion cubic meters | +9.0% |
| 2000 | 2.28 billion cubic meters | +8.3% |
| 2001 | 2.45 billion cubic meters | +7.6% |
| 2002 | 2.63 billion cubic meters | +7.1% |
| 2003 | 2.80 billion cubic meters | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 3.06 billion cubic meters | +9.1% |
| 2005 | 3.31 billion cubic meters | +8.4% |
| 2006 | 3.23 billion cubic meters | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 3.15 billion cubic meters | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 3.07 billion cubic meters | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 2.98 billion cubic meters | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 2.90 billion cubic meters | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 2.82 billion cubic meters | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 2.74 billion cubic meters | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 2.66 billion cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 2.57 billion cubic meters | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 2.49 billion cubic meters | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 2.41 billion cubic meters | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 2.37 billion cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 2.43 billion cubic meters | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 2.38 billion cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 2.32 billion cubic meters | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 2.24 billion cubic meters | -3.4% |
| 2022 | 2.47 billion cubic meters | +10.2% |
| 2023 | 2.12 billion cubic meters | -14.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 926.40 million cubic meters | 720.00 million cubic meters | 1.13 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.51 billion cubic meters | 1.18 billion cubic meters | 2.10 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.90 billion cubic meters | 2.28 billion cubic meters | 3.31 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.58 billion cubic meters | 2.37 billion cubic meters | 2.90 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.28 billion cubic meters | 2.12 billion cubic meters | 2.47 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More agriculture & rural data for United Arab Emirates
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0077 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 386.83 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 3.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1404 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.8% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.8% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.4% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water withdrawals in United Arab Emirates?
- Agricultural water withdrawals in United Arab Emirates was 2.12 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 United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 3.31 billion cubic meters in 2005.
- What is the lowest agricultural water withdrawals recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 720.00 million cubic meters in 1980.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for agricultural water withdrawals?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 71st out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural water withdrawals rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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.