Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture was 51.2% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in United Arab Emirates, 1980–2022
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 United Arab Emirates stood at 51.2%.
That represents a change of up 12.1% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in United Arab Emirates peaked at 82.8% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 45.7%, in 2021.
That places United Arab Emirates 103rd out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 80.0% | — |
| 1981 | 78.1% | -2.4% |
| 1982 | 76.5% | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 75.1% | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 73.9% | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 72.9% | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 71.9% | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 71.1% | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 70.4% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 69.7% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 69.1% | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 68.6% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 68.1% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 67.6% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 67.2% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 66.8% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 69.8% | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 72.4% | +3.7% |
| 1998 | 74.7% | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 76.7% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 78.5% | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 80.1% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 81.5% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 82.8% | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 82.8% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 82.8% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 78.9% | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 75.2% | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 71.7% | -4.7% |
| 2009 | 68.3% | -4.8% |
| 2010 | 65.0% | -4.8% |
| 2011 | 61.9% | -4.8% |
| 2012 | 58.9% | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 56.0% | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 53.2% | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 50.5% | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 48.0% | -5.1% |
| 2017 | 47.4% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 47.8% | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 47.3% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 46.5% | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 45.7% | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 51.2% | +12.1% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 51.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 28.8%, 1.8× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 51.2% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 73.5%, 70% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 74.0% | 69.7% | 80.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 70.1% | 66.8% | 76.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.3% | 68.3% | 82.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.6% | 47.3% | 65.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.8% | 45.7% | 51.2% | 3 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
- 100 Jordan 51.6% compare
- 101 Côte d'Ivoire 51.6% compare
- 102 Burkina Faso 51.4% compare
- 104 Italy 50.2% compare
- 105 Palestine, State of 49.2% compare
- 106 Israel 48.4% compare
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 annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in United Arab Emirates?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture in United Arab Emirates was 51.2% 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 United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 82.8% in 2003.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.7% in 2021.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 103rd out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals, agriculture rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates 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.
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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.