Progress on Level of Water Stress
Improving farming systems will help reduce the demand for water and alleviate the pressure on ecosystems. Healthy ecosystems are in turn essential to stabilize the water cycle, allowing more recharge for aquifers and a steadier run-off in surface streams.
- 18 % of the world’s renewable water resources is being withdrawn, after taking into account environmental flow requirements (SDG indicator 6.4.2, 2020)
Available time series: 2000-2020
Number of countries (and areas) reporting in the last five years: 166
Proportion of world population covered by reporting in the last five years:99%
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To track progress towards the target, SDG indicator 6.4.2 monitors how much freshwater is being withdrawn by all economic activities, compared to the total renewable freshwater resources available.
Global status of indicator 6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources (2020)
Number of people living in countries (or areas) with water stress (using more than 50% of available water resources): --- (---% of the world population)
Number of people living in countries (or areas) with critical water stress (using more than 100% of available water resources): --- (---% of the world population)
Freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources (%)
Change over time of indicator 6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources
Status in different countries (or areas) of indicator 6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources (2001-2020)
- 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 6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources (2020)
Status of different components of indicator 6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources (2020)
Water resources and withdrawal, total and per capita
Renewable water resources, world average: --- m3 per capita (2020)
Water withdrawal, world average: --- m3 per capita (2020)
Environmental flow requirements: ---% of renewable water resources (2020)
Renewable water resources, world average: --- m3 per capita (2020)
Water withdrawal, world average: --- m3 per capita (2020)
Environmental flow requirements: ---% of renewable water resources (2020)
Source data indicator 6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources
Country (or area), region and world data for the latest year of reporting: 2001 - 2020
| Country (or area), region, world | Year | 6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall (%) | Renewable water resources | Water withdrawal | Environmental flow requirements | |||||
| Afghanistan | 2020 | 54.76 | 65.33 | 20.37 | ||||
| Albania | 2020 | 4.72 | 30.2 | 0.79 | ||||
| Algeria | 2020 | 137.92 | 11.67 | 10.46 | ||||
| Andorra | 2020 | 0.32 | ||||||
| Angola | 2020 | 1.87 | 148.4 | 0.71 | ||||
| Antigua and Barbuda | 2020 | 8.46 | 0.05 | 0.01 | ||||
| Argentina | 2020 | 10.46 | 876.24 | 37.78 | ||||
| Armenia | 2020 | 57.09 | 7.77 | 2.83 | ||||
| Australia | 2020 | 3.47 | 492 | 13.74 | ||||
| Australia and New Zealand | 2017-2020 | 5.6 | 819 | |||||
| Austria | 2020 | 9.64 | 77.7 | 3.49 | ||||
| Azerbaijan | 2020 | 55.6 | 34.67 | 12.58 | ||||
| Bahamas | 2020 | 0.7 | ||||||
| Bahrain | 2020 | 133.71 | 0.12 | 0.43 | ||||
| Bangladesh | 2020 | 5.72 | 1227.03 | 35.87 | ||||
| Barbados | 2020 | 87.5 | 0.08 | 0.08 | ||||
| Belarus | 2020 | 4.38 | 57.9 | 1.33 | ||||
| Belgium | 2020 | 51.58 | 18.3 | 4.26 | ||||
| Belize | 2020 | 1.26 | 21.73 | 0.1 | ||||
| Benin | 2020 | 0.98 | 26.39 | 0.23 | ||||
| Bhutan | 2020 | 1.41 | 78 | 0.34 | ||||
| Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | 2020 | 1.18 | 574 | 2.09 | ||||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2001-2020 | 2.48 | 37.5 | 0.33 | ||||
| Botswana | 2020 | 2.31 | 12.24 | 0.22 | ||||
| Brazil | 2020 | 1.48 | 8647 | 67.2 | ||||
| Brunei Darussalam | 2001-2020 | 3.47 | 8.5 | 0.09 | ||||
| Bulgaria | 2020 | 37.52 | 21.3 | 5.08 | ||||
| Burkina Faso | 2020 | 7.82 | 13.5 | 0.82 | ||||
| Burundi | 2020 | 10.19 | 12.54 | 0.28 | ||||
| Cabo Verde | 2020 | 8.43 | 0.3 | 0.03 | ||||
| Cambodia | 2020 | 1.04 | 476.1 | 2.18 | ||||
| Cameroon | 2020 | 1.56 | 283.15 | 1.09 | ||||
| Canada | 2020 | 3.73 | 2902 | 36.23 | ||||
| Central African Republic | 2020 | 0.34 | 141 | 0.07 | ||||
| Central and Southern Asia | 2017-2020 | 71.13 | 4155.71 | |||||
| Chad | 2020 | 4.29 | 45.7 | 0.88 | ||||
| Chile | 2020 | 8.98 | 923.06 | 32.37 | ||||
| China | 2020 | 41.52 | 2840.22 | 581.29 | ||||
| Colombia | 2020 | 4.36 | 2360 | 29.12 | ||||
| Comoros | 2020 | 0.83 | 1.2 | 0.01 | ||||
| Congo | 2020 | 0.03 | 832 | 0.09 | ||||
| Cook Islands | 2020 | 0 | ||||||
| Costa Rica | 2020 | 5.35 | 113 | 3.14 | ||||
| Croatia | 2020 | 1.48 | 105.5 | 1.23 | ||||
| Cuba | 2020 | 23.94 | 38.12 | 6.96 | ||||
| Cyprus | 2020 | 37.59 | 0.78 | 0.28 | ||||
| Czechia | 2020 | 20.77 | 13.15 | 1.37 | ||||
| Côte d'Ivoire | 2020 | 5.09 | 84.14 | 1.16 | ||||
| Democratic People's Republic of Korea | 2020 | 27.74 | 77.15 | 8.66 | ||||
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 2020 | 0.23 | 1283 | 0.68 | ||||
| Denmark | 2020 | 26.4 | 6 | 0.98 | ||||
| Djibouti | 2001-2020 | 6.33 | 0.3 | 0.02 | ||||
| Dominica | 2001-2020 | 8.3 | 0.2 | 0.02 | ||||
| Dominican Republic | 2020 | 39.55 | 23.5 | 9.08 | ||||
| Eastern and South-Eastern Asia | 2017-2020 | 30.36 | 9847.02 | |||||
| Ecuador | 2020 | 6.78 | 442.4 | 9.92 | ||||
| Egypt | 2020 | 141.17 | 57.5 | 77.5 | ||||
| El Salvador | 2020 | 2.43 | 26.27 | 2.12 | ||||
| Equatorial Guinea | 2001-2020 | 0.17 | 26 | 0.02 | ||||
| Eritrea | 2020 | 11.18 | 7.32 | 0.58 | ||||
| Estonia | 2020 | 9.23 | 12.81 | 0.85 | ||||
| Eswatini | 2020 | 77.56 | 4.51 | 1.07 | ||||
| Ethiopia | 2020 | 32.26 | 122 | 10.55 | ||||
| Europe and Northern America | 2017-2020 | 12.45 | 13758.84 | |||||
| Faroe Islands | 2020 | 0 | ||||||
| Fiji | 2020 | 0.3 | 28.55 | 0.08 | ||||
| Finland | 2020 | 7.11 | 110 | 3.5 | ||||
| France | 2020 | 23 | 211 | 26.27 | ||||
| Gabon | 2020 | 0.5 | 166 | 0.14 | ||||
| Gambia | 2020 | 2.21 | 8 | 0.1 | ||||
| Georgia | 2020 | 5.39 | 63.33 | 1.65 | ||||
| Germany | 2020 | 33.5 | 154 | 28.48 | ||||
| Ghana | 2020 | 6.31 | 56.2 | 1.46 | ||||
| Greece | 2020 | 20.48 | 68.4 | 10.12 | ||||
| Grenada | 2020 | 0.2 | 0.01 | |||||
| Guatemala | 2020 | 5.74 | 127.91 | 3.32 | ||||
| Guinea | 2020 | 1.37 | 226 | 0.89 | ||||
| Guinea-Bissau | 2020 | 1.5 | 31.4 | 0.19 | ||||
| Guyana | 2020 | 3.3 | 271 | 1.44 | ||||
| Haiti | 2020 | 13.38 | 14.02 | 1.45 | ||||
| Holy See | 2020 | 0 | ||||||
| Honduras | 2020 | 4.62 | 92.16 | 1.61 | ||||
| Hungary | 2020 | 8.07 | 104 | 4.66 | ||||
| Iceland | 2020 | 0.39 | 170 | 0.28 | ||||
| India | 2020 | 66.49 | 1910.9 | 761 | ||||
| Indonesia | 2020 | 29.7 | 2018.7 | 222.64 | ||||
| Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 2020 | 81.29 | 137.04 | 93.3 | ||||
| Iraq | 2020 | 79.51 | 89.86 | 56.62 | ||||
| Ireland | 2020 | 21.64 | 52 | 1.54 | ||||
| Israel | 2020 | 110.09 | 1.78 | 2.3 | ||||
| Italy | 2020 | 29.81 | 191.3 | 33.89 | ||||
| Jamaica | 2020 | 12.47 | 10.82 | 1.35 | ||||
| Japan | 2020 | 36.05 | 430 | 78.4 | ||||
| Jordan | 2020 | 104.31 | 0.94 | 1.1 | ||||
| Kazakhstan | 2020 | 34.1 | 108.41 | 24.56 | ||||
| Kenya | 2020 | 33.24 | 30.7 | 4.03 | ||||
| Kiribati | 2020 | 0 | ||||||
| Kuwait | 2020 | 3850.5 | 0.02 | 1.25 | ||||
| Kyrgyzstan | 2020 | 50.04 | 23.62 | 7.66 | ||||
| Lao People's Democratic Republic | 2020 | 4.79 | 333.5 | 7.35 | ||||
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 2017-2020 | 5.98 | 19203.52 | |||||
| Latvia | 2020 | 1.07 | 34.94 | 0.18 | ||||
| Lebanon | 2020 | 58.79 | 4.5 | 1.84 | ||||
| Lesotho | 2020 | 2.57 | 3.02 | 0.04 | ||||
| Liberia | 2020 | 0.26 | 232 | 0.15 | ||||
| Libya | 2020 | 817.14 | 0.7 | 5.83 | ||||
| Liechtenstein | 2020 | 0 | ||||||
| Lithuania | 2020 | 1.83 | 24.5 | 0.25 | ||||
| Luxembourg | 2020 | 3.96 | 3.5 | 0.05 | ||||
| Madagascar | 2020 | 11.26 | 337 | 13.56 | ||||
| Malawi | 2020 | 17.5 | 17.28 | 1.36 | ||||
| Malaysia | 2020 | 3.44 | 580 | 5.49 | ||||
| Maldives | 2001-2020 | 17.12 | 0.03 | 0.01 | ||||
| Mali | 2020 | 8 | 120 | 5.19 | ||||
| Malta | 2020 | 81.86 | 0.05 | 0.06 | ||||
| Marshall Islands | 2020 | 0 | ||||||
| Mauritania | 2020 | 13.25 | 11.4 | 1.35 | ||||
| Mauritius | 2020 | 22.06 | 2.75 | 0.61 | ||||
| Mexico | 2020 | 44.82 | 461.89 | 89.55 | ||||
| Micronesia (Federated States of) | 2020 | 0 | ||||||
| Monaco | 2020 | 0 | ||||||
| Mongolia | 2020 | 3.4 | 34.8 | 0.46 | ||||
| Montenegro | 2020 | 0.16 | ||||||
| Morocco | 2020 | 50.75 | 29 | 10.43 | ||||
| Mozambique | 2020 | 1.75 | 217.1 | 1.47 | ||||
| Myanmar | 2020 | 5.8 | 1167.8 | 33.39 | ||||
| Namibia | 2020 | 0.86 | 39.91 | 0.29 | ||||
| Nauru | 2020 | 0.01 | ||||||
| Nepal | 2020 | 8.31 | 210.2 | 9.5 | ||||
| Netherlands | 2020 | 16.8 | 91 | 8.31 | ||||
| New Zealand | 2020 | 8.05 | 327 | 4.89 | ||||
| Nicaragua | 2020 | 2.22 | 164.52 | 1.27 | ||||
| Niger | 2020 | 11.02 | 34.05 | 2.58 | ||||
| Nigeria | 2020 | 9.67 | 286.2 | 12.48 | ||||
| Niue | 2020 | 0 | ||||||
| North Macedonia | 2020 | 38.7 | 6.4 | 0.47 | ||||
| Northern Africa and Western Asia | 2017-2020 | 83.94 | 580.4 | |||||
| Norway | 2020 | 2.05 | 393 | 2.69 | ||||
| Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) | 2017-2020 | 0.16 | 884.26 | |||||
| Oman | 2020 | 116.71 | 1.4 | 1.92 | ||||
| Pakistan | 2020 | 116.31 | 246.8 | 183.45 | ||||
| Palau | 2020 | 0 | ||||||
| Panama | 2020 | 0.9 | 139.3 | 1.21 | ||||
| Papua New Guinea | 2001-2020 | 0.1 | 801 | 0.39 | ||||
| Paraguay | 2020 | 1.84 | 387.77 | 2.41 | ||||
| Peru | 2020 | 7.18 | 1879.8 | 38.55 | ||||
| Philippines | 2020 | 26.25 | 479 | 85.87 | ||||
| Poland | 2020 | 30 | 60.5 | 9.21 | ||||
| Portugal | 2020 | 12.32 | 77.4 | 6.13 | ||||
| Puerto Rico | 2020 | 19.54 | 7.1 | 3.27 | ||||
| Qatar | 2020 | 431.03 | 0.06 | 0.88 | ||||
| Republic of Korea | 2020 | 85.22 | 69.7 | 27.08 | ||||
| Republic of Moldova | 2020 | 12.56 | 12.27 | 0.8 | ||||
| Romania | 2020 | 6.01 | 212.01 | 6.42 | ||||
| Russian Federation | 2020 | 4.12 | 4525.44 | 64.82 | ||||
| Rwanda | 2020 | 20.2 | 13.3 | 0.6 | ||||
| Réunion | 2001 | 15.15 | ||||||
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2020 | 0.02 | 0.02 | |||||
| Saint Lucia | 2020 | 0.3 | 0.04 | |||||
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 2001-2020 | 9.7 | 0.1 | 0.01 | ||||
| Samoa | 2020 | 0 | ||||||
| Sao Tome and Principe | 2020 | 1.88 | 2.18 | 0.04 | ||||
| Saudi Arabia | 2020 | 974.17 | 2.4 | 25.99 | ||||
| Senegal | 2020 | 16.28 | 38.97 | 3.02 | ||||
| Serbia | 2020 | 6 | 162.2 | 5.32 | ||||
| Seychelles | 2020 | 0 | 0.01 | |||||
| Sierra Leone | 2020 | 0.5 | 160 | 0.21 | ||||
| Singapore | 2001-2020 | 328.24 | 0.6 | 0.66 | ||||
| Slovakia | 2020 | 2.39 | 50.1 | 0.56 | ||||
| Slovenia | 2020 | 6.78 | 31.87 | 1 | ||||
| Solomon Islands | 2020 | 44.7 | ||||||
| Somalia | 2020 | 24.53 | 14.7 | 3.3 | ||||
| South Africa | 2020 | 65.03 | 51.35 | 19.19 | ||||
| South Sudan | 2020 | 4.23 | 49.5 | 0.66 | ||||
| Spain | 2020 | 43.25 | 111.5 | 29.02 | ||||
| Sri Lanka | 2020 | 90.79 | 52.8 | 12.95 | ||||
| State of Palestine | 2020 | 50.26 | 1.67 | 0.9 | ||||
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 2017-2020 | 6.18 | 5488.56 | |||||
| Sudan | 2020 | 118.66 | 37.8 | 26.94 | ||||
| Suriname | 2020 | 3.95 | 99 | 0.62 | ||||
| Sweden | 2020 | 3.58 | 174 | 2.48 | ||||
| Switzerland | 2020 | 6.5 | 53.5 | 1.77 | ||||
| Syrian Arab Republic | 2020 | 124.36 | 16.8 | 16.76 | ||||
| Tajikistan | 2020 | 69.94 | 21.91 | 9.9 | ||||
| Thailand | 2020 | 23.01 | 438.61 | 57.31 | ||||
| Timor-Leste | 2020 | 28.27 | 8.22 | 1.17 | ||||
| Togo | 2020 | 3.39 | 14.7 | 0.22 | ||||
| Tokelau | 2020 | 0 | ||||||
| Tonga | 2020 | 0 | ||||||
| Trinidad and Tobago | 2020 | 20.33 | 3.84 | 0.38 | ||||
| Tunisia | 2020 | 98.11 | 4.62 | 3.59 | ||||
| Turkmenistan | 2020 | 135.21 | 24.76 | 26.24 | ||||
| Tuvalu | 2020 | 0 | ||||||
| Türkiye | 2020 | 45.71 | 211.6 | 62.21 | ||||
| Uganda | 2020 | 5.83 | 60.1 | 0.64 | ||||
| Ukraine | 2020 | 12.26 | 175.28 | 9.87 | ||||
| United Arab Emirates | 2020 | 1587.33 | 0.15 | 4.98 | ||||
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | 2020 | 14.35 | 147 | 8.42 | ||||
| United Republic of Tanzania | 2020 | 12.96 | 96.27 | 5.18 | ||||
| United States of America | 2020 | 28.16 | 3069 | 444.29 | ||||
| Uruguay | 2020 | 9.79 | 172.2 | 3.66 | ||||
| Uzbekistan | 2020 | 168.92 | 48.87 | 58.9 | ||||
| Vanuatu | 2020 | 10 | ||||||
| Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | 2020 | 7.54 | 1325 | 22.63 | ||||
| Viet Nam | 2020 | 18.13 | 884.12 | 82.03 | ||||
| World | 2017-2020 | 18.24 | 42825.6 | |||||
| Yemen | 2020 | 169.76 | 2.1 | 3.56 | ||||
| Zambia | 2020 | 2.84 | 104.8 | 1.57 | ||||
| Zimbabwe | 2020 | 35.41 | 20 | 3.77 | ||||