Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture was 87.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in Sri Lanka, 1990–2022
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
In 2022, annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in Sri Lanka stood at 87.4%. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in Sri Lanka peaked at 96.0% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 87.4%, in 2005.
Sri Lanka ranks 34th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 96.0% | — |
| 1991 | 95.5% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 95.1% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 94.6% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 94.2% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 93.9% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 93.5% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 93.2% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 92.8% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 92.5% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 92.2% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 91.3% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 90.3% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 89.3% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 88.3% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 87.4% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 87.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 63.5%, 1.4× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 87.4% is below the median for South Asia, which is 89.1%, 98% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 94.1% | 92.5% | 96.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 88.8% | 87.4% | 92.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 87.4% | 87.4% | 87.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 87.4% | 87.4% | 87.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
- 31 Bangladesh 87.8% compare
- 32 Morocco 87.8% compare
- 33 Syrian Arab Republic 87.5% compare
- 35 Zimbabwe 87.2% compare
- 36 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 87.1% compare
- 37 Türkiye 86.9% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Sri Lanka
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 9.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0836 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 418.3 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9172 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7955 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in Sri Lanka?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in Sri Lanka was 87.4% 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 Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 96.0% in 1990.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 87.4% in 2005.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture?
- Sri Lanka ranks 34th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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 — 33 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.