Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture was 81.6% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in Saudi Arabia, 1992–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in Saudi Arabia is 81.6%, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in Saudi Arabia peaked at 90.0% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 81.6%, in 2018.
Saudi Arabia ranks 45th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 90.0% | — |
| 1993 | 89.6% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 89.3% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 89.0% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 88.7% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 88.5% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 88.2% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 88.0% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 87.7% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 87.9% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 88.0% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 88.1% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 88.3% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 88.1% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 88.0% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 87.4% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 86.7% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 86.1% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 85.4% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 84.6% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 83.9% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 83.7% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 83.8% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 83.9% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 82.7% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 82.2% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 81.6% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 81.6% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 81.6% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 81.6% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 81.6% | +0.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 81.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 28.8%, 2.8× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 81.6% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 73.5%, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 88.9% | 88.0% | 90.0% | 8 |
| 2000s | 87.6% | 86.1% | 88.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.3% | 81.6% | 85.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.6% | 81.6% | 81.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More agriculture & rural data for Saudi Arabia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0259 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 894.48 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 3.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1539 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in Saudi Arabia?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in Saudi Arabia was 81.6% in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 90.0% in 1992.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 81.6% in 2018.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 45th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture (% of total freshwater withdrawal). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual freshwater withdrawals refer to total water withdrawals, not counting evaporation losses from storage basins. Withdrawals also include water from desalination plants in countries where they are a significant source. Withdrawals can exceed 100 percent of total renewable resources where extraction from nonrenewable aquifers or desalination plants is considerable or where there is significant water reuse. Withdrawals for agriculture are total withdrawals for irrigation and livestock production. Data are for the most recent year available for 1987-2002.