Progress on Water-Use Efficiency (SDG target 6.4)

Increasing water-use efficiency, for example by repairing leaking water distribution systems, using less thirsty crops and investing in new technology, results in more sustainable food and industrial production systems. Water savings are also often associated with energy savings, as less water needs to be extracted, treated, transported and heated.

19 $/m3 is the value added from the use of water by people and the economy at the global level (SDG indicator 6.4.1, 2019)

Data provider: FAO through AQUASTAT
Available data series: 2000-2019
Number of countries (and areas) reporting in the last five years: 168
Proportion of world population covered by reporting in the last five years:100%
Proportion of world economy covered by reporting in the last five years: 98%
Proportion of world land area covered by reporting in the last five years: 99%
Learn more about the indicator here
Read the latest progress report here

SDG target 6.4 is: ‘By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.’

To track progress towards the target, SDG indicator 6.4.1 monitors the change in water-use efficiency over time, measured as the ratio of dollar value added to the volume of water used.

Global status of indicator 6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time (2019)

US dollars per cubic meter (USD/m3)

Progress over time of indicator 6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time

Trend

SDG Progress Report

Global target: of people have access to safe water.
Current status: % has access to safe water.
Current rate of progress between -1 and : % of the world population gained access to safe drinking water.
Rate of progress required to reach target: % of population need to gain access to safe water per year.
On track to reach target:
With current rate of progress, target will be reached by year:

Status in different countries (or areas) of indicator 6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time (2019)

Australia and New Zealand
Eastern and South-Eastern Asia

Central and Southern Asia
Latin America and the Caribbean

Europe and Northern America
Sub-Saharan Africa

Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand)
Northern Africa and Western Asia

Status in different SDG regions of indicator 6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time (2019)

Status of different components of indicator 6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time

Water-use efficiency and its components, by sector, for all reporting countries (and areas) in the world (2019)
Water-use efficiency for ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing’ only takes into account the proportion of gross value added that comes from irrigated agriculture, since that activity is associated with water withdrawal (other activities are rain-fed).

Water resources and withdrawal and gross value added to GDP, by source and sector, for all reporting countries (and areas) in the world (2014)
The below chart displays the average situation for all reporting countries (and areas) in the world. The column ‘Internal renewable water resources, by source’ does not display the overlap between groundwater and surface water. The column ‘Water withdrawal, by source’ includes freshwater sources but no non-conventional sources (e.g. desalinated water, direct use of treated wastewater and direct use of agricultural drainage water).

Source data indicator 6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time

Country (or area), region and world data for the latest year of reporting: 2019

Country (or area), SDG region, world	Year	6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time
Country (or area), SDG region, world	Year	Overall	Agriculture, forestry and fishing	Industry	Services
Afghanistan	2019	0.82	0.12	12.19	60.37
Albania	2019	8.90	1.67	10.99	28.18
Algeria	2019	14.57	0.65	336.59	23.28
Angola	2019	139.01	0.23	199.16	157.62
Antigua and Barbuda	2019	123.10	2.03	115.88	155.88
Argentina	2019	12.70	0.18	31.81	59.41
Armenia	2019	3.67	0.19	22.96	12.10
Australia	2019	82.19	0.37	114.24	261.29
Austria	2019	104.96	3.16	35.36	376.38
Azerbaijan	2019	3.83	0.19	44.83	51.72
Bahamas	2019				304.29
Bahrain	2019	79.20	0.67	982.54	74.22
Bangladesh	2019	6.71	0.81	96.11	39.19
Barbados	2019	51.87	0.93	84.57	181.31
Belarus	2019	34.81	0.07	37.18	55.99
Belgium	2019	102.40	0.65	24.22	477.01
Belize	2019	13.88	0.13	7.63	108.05
Benin	2019	39.12	0.57	72.95	47.80
Bermuda	2019			256.36	811.72
Bhutan	2019	6.20	0.51	225.28	73.88
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	2019	14.13	0.27	275.01	148.53
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2019			72.98	35.07
Botswana	2019	73.14	0.08	161.20	101.61
Brazil	2019	21.09	0.38	26.63	70.23
Brunei Darussalam	2019		4.08		34.36
Bulgaria	2019	9	0.08	2.84	43.94
Burkina Faso	2019	12.90	0.06	170.69	18.16
Burundi	2019	6.41	0.05	33.32	29.79
Cabo Verde	2019	57.64	0.24	811.50	766.17
Cambodia	2019	8.30	0.35	242.17	96.10
Cameroon	2019	25.76	0.05	85.44	77.23
Canada	2019	42.66	0.29	13.31	242.18
Central African Republic	2019	17.47	0.13	33.69	14.35
Chad	2019	10.44	0.04	23	65.27
Chile	2019	7.38	0.23	41.80	126.19
China	2019	24.81	2.28	44.24	101.46
Colombia	2019	9.57	0.09	19.68	54.27
Comoros	2019	70.44	0.10	188.91	126.97
Congo	2019	90.74	0.17	164.81	68.52
Costa Rica	2019	17.38	0.36	40.76	68.75
Côte d'Ivoire	2019	37.65	0.32	45.67	101.57
Croatia	2019	60.74	0.61	49.34	76.41
Cuba	2019	12.85	0.20	28.32	39.73
Cyprus	2019	73.04	0.91	154.18	157.29
Czechia	2019	125.60	1.34	73.18	200.37
Democratic People's Republic of Korea	2019	1.68	0.33	5.39	6.86
Democratic Republic of the Congo	2019	49.55	0.22	108.82	38.46
Denmark	2019	315.61	1.86	1408.84	588.61
Djibouti	2019		12.49		170.20
Dominica	2019		0		16.21
Dominican Republic	2019	8.77	0.21	37.23	62.50
Ecuador	2019	9.13	0.61	56.53	42.19
Egypt	2019	3.81	0.55	23.78	18.81
El Salvador	2019	10.44	0.05	26.47	34.63
Equatorial Guinea	2019			1657.10	301.98
Eritrea	2019	3.33	0.02	690.10	40.05
Estonia	2019	23.08	0.12	5.69	230.19
Eswatini	2019	3.57	0.11	67.45	55.83
Ethiopia	2019	5.11	0.09	405.12	39.87
Fiji	2019	43.67	0.32	76.17	117.04
Finland	2019	74.19	0.05	27.53	320.17
France	2019	84.93	1.69	21.11	354.33
Gabon	2019	99.12	0.25	494.51	80.34
Gambia	2019	12.03	0.06	11.34	23.76
Georgia	2019	9.25	0.40	9.43	17.14
Germany	2019	112.78	4.74	48.75	225.81
Ghana	2019	32.51	0.20	198.80	95.17
Greece	2019	17.11	0.51	58.31	89.01
Grenada	2019		2.38		66.29
Guatemala	2019	18.53	1.04	22.87	54.90
Guinea	2019	9.68	0.04	56.71	22.55
Guinea-Bissau	2019	3.53	0.13	13.56	14.38
Guyana	2019	2.58	0.01	69.25	37.68
Haiti	2019	4.66	0.21	54.44	19.62
Honduras	2019	13	0.20	49.58	47.66
Hungary	2019	27.31	0.35	10.31	132.84
Iceland	2019	62.58	0.84	15.82	178.52
India	2019	3.12	0.46	38.86	24.84
Indonesia	2019	4.14	0.26	43.32	20.05
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	2019	4.21	0.33	111.26	39.11
Iraq	2019	3.35	0.09	17.17	13.30
Ireland	2019	242.58	0.23	243.60	260.66
Israel	2019	134.56	1.51	569.58	284.83
Italy	2019	49.61	0.98	47.07	138.80
Jamaica	2019	8.88	1.86	2.22	66.94
Japan	2019	57.08	0.76	112.65	218.72
Jordan	2019	33.04	1.49	255.45	52.75
Kazakhstan	2019	7.49	0.04	11.98	32.71
Kenya	2019	11.92	0.25	36.23	73.25
Kuwait	2019	106.58	0.75	2677.69	145.40
Kyrgyzstan	2019	0.91	0.11	5.91	18.64
Lao People's Democratic Republic	2019	1.94	0.11	21.94	74.89
Latvia	2019	147.28	0.02	172.13	232.66
Lebanon	2019	23.72	2.37	5.73	153.49
Lesotho	2019	47.26	0.04	31.42	72.07
Liberia	2019	4.38	0.04	3.79	5.44
Libya	2019	4.90	0.02	67.43	13.70
Liechtenstein	2019				480.97
Lithuania	2019	163.55	0.03	182.50	223.45
Luxembourg	2019	1189.98	0	1483.59	1176.93
Madagascar	2019	0.80	0.11	17.65	16.89
Malawi	2019	3.42	0.04	20.34	25.33
Malaysia	2019	61.18	0.92	76.96	154.37
Maldives	2019			1802.88	694.38
Mali	2019	1.92	0.05	919.84	56.20
Malta	2019	188.34	2.22	1428.28	266.32
Mauritania	2019	3.95	0.30	49.20	35.73
Mauritius	2019	19.35	0.38	210.65	32.59
Mexico	2019	13.08	0.27	42.94	59.57
Monaco	2019				1240.22
Mongolia	2019	24.17	0.38	31.56	128.78
Montenegro	2019	22.71	45.66	8.67	31.45
Morocco	2019	9.11	0.49	126.43	60.04
Mozambique	2019	7.79	0.06	146.08	20.85
Myanmar	2019	1.98	0.19	55.93	9.87
Namibia	2019	33.34	0.06	184.73	95.93
Nepal	2019	2.35	0.62	107.24	90.50
Netherlands	2019	87.79	19.80	21.65	304.54
New Zealand	2019	37.68	3.96	29.61	273.72
Nicaragua	2019	6.39	0.20	36.60	24.26
Niger	2019	2.66	0	53.12	24.87
Nigeria	2019	31.69	0.24	68.83	51.76
North Macedonia	2019	10.46	0.80	9.74	21.41
Norway	2019	132.24	1.08	101.25	317.97
Oman	2019	48.33	1.27	156.56	412.27
Pakistan	2019	1.57	0.31	39.48	18.46
Panama	2019	50.09	0.29	2858.63	56.41
Papua New Guinea	2019			51.28	49.51
Paraguay	2019	14.09	0.16	66.47	64.79
Peru	2019	4.98	0.28	16.94	55.05
Philippines	2019	4.14	0.16	10.32	29.71
Poland	2019	49.40	0.20	21.86	163.45
Portugal	2019	30.75	0.49	19.33	171.47
Puerto Rico	2019	28.91	2.31	19.46	60.80
Qatar	2019	209.11	1.35	2598.74	124.45
Republic of Korea	2019	55.15	1.49	113.60	144.52
Republic of Moldova	2019	8.58	3.86	3.10	33.97
Romania	2019	29.27	0.28	13.99	122.36
Russian Federation	2019	19.31	0.05	13.84	49.49
Rwanda	2019	12.68	0.39	193.72	24.60
Saint Kitts and Nevis	2019		0.56		43.93
Saint Lucia	2019		0		125.93
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	2019			41909.63	62.01
Sao Tome and Principe	2019	7.76	0.33	62.60	18.46
Saudi Arabia	2019	28.15	0.79	222.21	104.08
Senegal	2019	7.83	0.09	83.53	125.97
Serbia	2019	6.25	0.15	2.29	37.83
Seychelles	2019	99.83	9.73	37.98	134.95
Sierra Leone	2019	8.79	0.12	4.63	14.45
Singapore	2019			238.08	828.42
Slovakia	2019	140.74	1.50	104.68	208.73
Slovenia	2019	45.47	6.67	17.02	175.22
Somalia	2019	0.20	0.03	50.82	30.67
South Africa	2019	14.41	0.13	17.34	51.37
South Sudan	2019	8.96	0.02	13.26	15.05
Spain	2019	39.98	0.62	39.97	208.50
Sri Lanka	2019	6.32	0.26	29.20	67.91
State of Palestine	2019	31.83	4.80	78.16	50.31
Sudan	2019	2.97	0.17	270.53	58.23
Suriname	2019	7.01	0.93	9.46	53.37
Sweden	2019	200.98	3.92	79.38	387.70
Switzerland	2019	414.57	6.21	272.17	577.16
Syrian Arab Republic	2019	1.01	0.11	9.35	6.56
Tajikistan	2019	0.92	0.28	2.25	4.41
Thailand	2019	7.66	0.39	53.52	98.72
Timor-Leste	2019	1.42	0.06	272.26	10.66
Togo	2019	21.57	0.01	193.23	25.53
Trinidad and Tobago	2019	57.64	2.42	64.87	57.60
Tunisia	2019	10.37	0.29	221.74	33.31
Türkiye	2019	13.75	0.31	232.55	89.19
Turkmenistan	2019	1.33	0.13	30.11	19.52
Uganda	2019	34.26	0.05	108.99	49.89
Ukraine	2019	7.12	0.06	4.56	24.48
United Arab Emirates	2019	74.91	0.94	4431.45	86.43
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	2019	327.91	0.61	473.50	366.48
United Republic of Tanzania	2019	7.49	0.19	612.53	42.90
United States of America	2019	44.67	0.19	15.77	282.67
Uruguay	2019	13.34	0.20	154.90	87.24
Uzbekistan	2019	1.56	0.43	14.83	15.35
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	2019	4.99	0.16	54.50	13.10
Viet Nam	2019	2.70	0.39	23.82	97.87
Yemen	2019	5.24	0.68	60.86	47.18
Zambia	2019	13.63	0.03	55.81	48.76
Zimbabwe	2019	4.45	0.04	47.53	19.72
Australia and New Zealand	2019	71.24	1.33	88.64	262.84
Central and Southern Asia	2019	3.02	0.41	33.75	26.22
Eastern and South-Eastern Asia	2019	19.76	1.20	48.53	99.54
Europe and Northern America	2019	51.55	0.34	21.33	229.83
Latin America and the Caribbean	2019	12.58	0.27	31.06	58.69
Northern Africa and Western Asia	2019	11.52	0.41	81.86	52.14
Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand)	2019	85.70	0.31	69.65	114.63
Sub-Saharan Africa	2019	13.09	0.12	50.17	49.75
World	2019	19.40	0.63	32.43	114.02

Progress on Water-Use Efficiency (SDG target 6.4)

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