Agricultural water withdrawals in Zambia
Zambia: Agricultural water withdrawals was 3.74 billion cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Agricultural water withdrawals in Zambia, 1992–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
Zambia recorded 3.74 billion cubic meters for agricultural water withdrawals in 2023. That is the highest value across all 32 years on record.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 45.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water withdrawals in Zambia peaked at 3.74 billion cubic meters in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.15 billion cubic meters, in 2002.
Zambia ranks 58th of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Agricultural water withdrawals in Zambia, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1.34 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1993 | 1.33 billion cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 1.32 billion cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 1.30 billion cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 1.28 billion cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 1.26 billion cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 1.24 billion cubic meters | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 1.21 billion cubic meters | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 1.19 billion cubic meters | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 1.17 billion cubic meters | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 1.28 billion cubic meters | +11.2% |
| 2004 | 1.41 billion cubic meters | +10.0% |
| 2005 | 1.54 billion cubic meters | +9.1% |
| 2006 | 1.67 billion cubic meters | +8.4% |
| 2007 | 1.79 billion cubic meters | +7.7% |
| 2008 | 1.92 billion cubic meters | +7.2% |
| 2009 | 2.05 billion cubic meters | +6.7% |
| 2010 | 2.18 billion cubic meters | +6.3% |
| 2011 | 2.31 billion cubic meters | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 2.44 billion cubic meters | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 2.57 billion cubic meters | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 2.69 billion cubic meters | +5.0% |
| 2015 | 2.82 billion cubic meters | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 2.95 billion cubic meters | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 3.08 billion cubic meters | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 3.21 billion cubic meters | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 3.34 billion cubic meters | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 3.46 billion cubic meters | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 3.59 billion cubic meters | +3.7% |
| 2022 | 3.66 billion cubic meters | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 3.74 billion cubic meters | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.28 billion cubic meters | 1.21 billion cubic meters | 1.34 billion cubic meters | 8 |
| 2000s | 1.52 billion cubic meters | 1.15 billion cubic meters | 2.05 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.76 billion cubic meters | 2.18 billion cubic meters | 3.34 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.61 billion cubic meters | 3.46 billion cubic meters | 3.74 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
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 withdrawals in Zambia?
- Agricultural water withdrawals in Zambia was 3.74 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.74 billion cubic meters in 2023.
- What is the lowest agricultural water withdrawals recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.15 billion cubic meters in 2002.
- How does Zambia rank for agricultural water withdrawals?
- Zambia ranks 58th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural water withdrawals rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 45.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia 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.