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.

22 $/m3 is the value added from the use of water by people and the economy at the global level (SDG indicator 6.4.1, 2023)

Data provider: FAO through AQUASTAT
Available data series: 2000-2023
Number of countries (and areas) reporting in the last five years: 170
Proportion of world population covered by reporting in the last five years: 99%
Proportion of world economy covered by reporting in the last five years: --%
Proportion of world land area covered by reporting in the last five years: 0%
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 (---)

US dollars per cubic meter (USD/m3)

>80

40-80

>10-40

>0-10

Data Not Available

Not Applicable

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

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

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 (---)

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

Water-use efficiency, by sector (---)

Water withdrawal, by source and sector, for one reporting country (---)

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: (2022 - 2023):

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	2023	0.61	0.13	10.5	39.93
Albania	2023	14.19	1.96	239.85	33.65
Algeria	2023	17.07	1.21	430.92	29.58
Angola	2023	132.91	0.54	204.28	140.18
Antigua and Barbuda	2023	128.5	2.32	115.88	164.44
Argentina	2023	13.27	0.07	38.59	58.99
Armenia	2023	4.29	0.15	21.52	17.71
Australia	2023	81.84	0.4	114.75	494.56
Australia and New Zealand	2023	72.67	1.26	91.96	445.12
Austria	2023	119.36	2.09	42.26	348.81
Azerbaijan	2023	3.93	0.18	43.46	56.18
Bahamas	2023				335.1
Bahrain	2023	82.54	0.67	1101.22	73.4
Bangladesh	2023	10.14	1.05	166.72	56.22
Barbados	2023	61.68	1	100.23	216.01
Belarus	2023	33.38	0.07	38.25	48.87
Belgium	2023	96.03	2.01	20.6	523.25
Belize	2023	20.67	0.22	13.76	156.24
Benin	2023	49.74	0.77	97.68	59.75
Bermuda	2023			250.12	832.16
Bhutan	2023	7.05	0.39	163.88	103.79
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	2023	13.9	0.48	268.91	83.56
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2023			82.86	37.98
Botswana	2023	76.49	0.09	193.32	85.28
Brazil	2023	25.03	0.72	34.58	77.03
Brunei Darussalam	2023		6.02		34.52
Bulgaria	2023	10.27	0.09	3.21	50.59
Burkina Faso	2023	15.29	0.05	226.09	20.19
Burundi	2023	7.51	0.06	35.22	36.27
Cabo Verde	2023	6.84	0.09	35.18	10.28
Cambodia	2023	13.14	0.45	416.8	142.96
Cameroon	2023	29	0.07	96.31	86.86
Canada	2023	45.43	0.33	13.45	260.87
Central African Republic	2023	17.33	0.12	34.25	14.07
Central and Southern Asia	2023	3.79	0.58	41.86	31.63
Chad	2023	12.28	0.08	64.07	39.54
Chile	2023	7.67	0.21	45.26	129.5
China	2023	27.6	2.23	60.13	77.64
Colombia	2023	11.83	0.14	185.44	61.26
Comoros	2023	83.82	0.14	254.18	148.01
Congo	2023	105.21	0.3	207.98	73.07
Costa Rica	2023	19.02	0.43	53.45	46.5
Croatia	2023	50.95	1.33	24.41	86.28
Cuba	2023	11.91	0.15	24.75	37.57
Cyprus	2023	88.31	0.55	158.05	202.08
Czechia	2023	149.71	1.41	81.91	238.21
Côte d'Ivoire	2023	48.88	0.22	68.26	125.45
Democratic People's Republic of Korea	2023	1.65	0.34	5.61	6.2
Democratic Republic of the Congo	2023	66.59	0.44	148.89	50.84
Denmark	2023	325.78	0.63	1883.47	618.26
Djibouti	2023		17.76		182.57
Dominica	2023		0.01		17.69
Dominican Republic	2023	9.84	0.25	45.16	67.43
Eastern and South-Eastern Asia	2023	21.7	1.18	60.77	86.32
Ecuador	2023	10.27	0.59	51.02	53.44
Egypt	2023	5.57	0.79	25.68	22.77
El Salvador	2023	11.78	0.05	60.62	33.99
Equatorial Guinea	2023			1585.91	279.09
Eritrea	2023	3.6	0.02	743.15	43.15
Estonia	2023	30	0.51	6.84	292.65
Eswatini	2023	3.89	0.12	68.62	63.41
Ethiopia	2023	6.5	0.21	505.54	50.23
Europe and Northern America	2023	56.62	0.36	23.46	251.4
Fiji	2023	43.57	0.48	69.86	118.74
Finland	2023	77.53	0.02	40.57	328.57
France	2023	100.49	2.22	26.02	370.74
Gabon	2023	106.04	0.33	584.63	76.67
Gambia	2023	13.65	0.17	13.09	26.77
Georgia	2023	14.54	0.78	10.36	29.3
Germany	2023	145.76	2.35	70.5	259.01
Ghana	2023	34.66	0.06	209.32	102.88
Greece	2023	21.51	0.57	84.43	119.47
Grenada	2023		1.39		64.06
Guatemala	2023	20.96	1.04	26.9	61.67
Guinea	2023	10.69	0.04	69.29	23.17
Guinea-Bissau	2023	4.04	0.17	20.27	14.69
Guyana	2023	11.63	0.06	638.31	60.25
Haiti	2023	7.55	0.21	80.94	34.58
Honduras	2023	14.16	0.27	53.59	51.84
Hungary	2023	28.53	0.39	10.63	134.01
Iceland	2023	71.58	0.87	19.61	200.47
India	2023	3.8	0.65	43.43	30.54
Indonesia	2023	4.73	0.38	50.47	21.79
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	2023	5.19	0.39	192.11	38.58
Iraq	2023	4.17	0.04	30.43	11.89
Ireland	2022-2023	233.71	0	238.29	240.78
Israel	2023	147.84	2.28	636.78	309.87
Italy	2023	52.61	0.77	54.05	147.73
Jamaica	2023	26.42	3.87	54.46	28.03
Japan	2023	59.33	0.68	120.44	232.81
Jordan	2023	35.33	1.51	275.88	56.29
Kazakhstan	2023	8.63	0.05	11.84	32.43
Kenya	2023	14.47	0.16	129.55	91.6
Kuwait	2023	105.57	0.71	2934.81	140.59
Kyrgyzstan	2023	1.01	0.11	5.94	22.17
Lao People's Democratic Republic	2023	2.2	0.22	28.05	75.52
Latin America and the Caribbean	2023	14.5	0.32	44.39	60.72
Latvia	2023	148.45	0.03	160.66	236.68
Lebanon	2023	19.42	2.33	4.67	124.58
Lesotho	2023	40.78	0.02	27.43	61.88
Liberia	2023	18.12	0.02	15.24	22.81
Libya	2023	6.83	0.12	60.4	31.89
Liechtenstein	2023				504.84
Lithuania	2023	165.3	0.04	130.59	258.59
Luxembourg	2022-2023	1378.18	0	3427	1307.56
Madagascar	2023	0.38	0.04	15.73	56.53
Malawi	2023	5.93	0.1	37.5	42.93
Malaysia	2023	67.22	1.34	86.04	167.18
Maldives	2023			1577.38	781.94
Mali	2023	2.43	0.06	1041.06	76.03
Malta	2023	264.7	3.42	1849.34	361.65
Mauritania	2023	4.8	0.32	73.79	39.28
Mauritius	2023	19.42	0.48	244.42	30.15
Mexico	2023	13.57	0.28	50.73	59.7
Monaco	2023				976.55
Mongolia	2023	27.01	0.46	35.5	142.95
Montenegro	2023	1.76	0.95	0.19	28.71
Morocco	2023	10.26	0.46	135.92	69.54
Mozambique	2023	8.71	0.07	154.47	23.89
Myanmar	2023	2.01	0.14	57.92	10.22
Namibia	2023	34.91	0.07	170.64	107.63
Nepal	2023	2.99	0.68	113.4	127.03
Netherlands	2023	110.84	35.1	29.86	306.33
New Zealand	2023	41.74	4.37	31.9	269.99
Nicaragua	2023	9.04	0.17	6088.23	39.8
Niger	2023	2.69	0	70.44	21.77
Nigeria	2023	33.84	0.26	88.52	49.36
North Macedonia	2023	3.28	1.47	58.79	21.78
Northern Africa and Western Asia	2023	13.29	0.44	103.79	57.5
Norway	2023	142.24	0.45	144.02	294.68
Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand)	2023	84.64	0.48	68.8	113.18
Oman	2023	49.75	1.38	201.95	346.68
Pakistan	2023	1.94	0.43	51.66	21.73
Panama	2023	59.33	0.41	3027.7	69.72
Papua New Guinea	2023			52.7	49.5
Paraguay	2023	15.03	0.22	75.34	66.93
Peru	2023	10.02	0.55	210.82	54.79
Philippines	2023	4.43	0.21	7.8	29.51
Poland	2023	56.84	0.15	24.5	189.75
Portugal	2023	32.78	0.58	20.98	175.9
Puerto Rico	2023	29.45	2.1	19.15	63.95
Qatar	2023	196.12	1.63	2557.53	137.16
Republic of Korea	2023	63.91	0.95	131.28	169.58
Republic of Moldova	2023	9.06	2.69	2.93	33.6
Romania	2023	25.93	0.33	12.89	120.53
Russian Federation	2023	20.48	0.06	15.17	51.65
Rwanda	2023	15.72	0.61	290.9	27.48
Saint Kitts and Nevis	2023		0.62		43.82
Saint Lucia	2023		0		128.37
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	2023	86.03		55289.97	73.04
Sao Tome and Principe	2023	8.21	0.41	72.76	19.16
Saudi Arabia	2023	28.24	0.99	253.95	105.34
Senegal	2023	6.54	0.1	3941.08	53.21
Serbia	2023	7.73	0.23	2.81	41.4
Seychelles	2023	116.77	5.95	51.13	155.56
Sierra Leone	2023	30.7	3.44	42.72	35.91
Singapore	2023	1013.46		499.26	1442.99
Slovakia	2023	165.4	1.69	132.82	206.86
Slovenia	2023	50.31	4.66	18.65	183.07
Somalia	2023	1.23	0.2	305.57	184.54
South Africa	2023	16.01	0.14	16.87	68.94
South Sudan	2023	9.84	0.01	16.01	14.88
Spain	2023	42.6	0.53	41.77	218.54
Sri Lanka	2023	6.05	0.32	25.8	66.28
State of Palestine	2023	30.22	4.23	198.15	36.74
Sub-Saharan Africa	2023	12.21	0.12	59.29	54.65
Sudan	2023	2.35	0.04	221.56	48.13
Suriname	2023	7.12	0.87	12.68	46.47
Sweden	2023	245.58	2.81	93.91	555.92
Switzerland	2023	448.02	6.22	283.89	637.5
Syrian Arab Republic	2023	0.94	0.22	5.59	6.12
Tajikistan	2023	1.26	0.39	1.85	7.26
Thailand	2023	7.67	0.4	48.34	104.02
Timor-Leste	2023	1.35	0.08	211.02	10.91
Togo	2023	27.36	0.02	227.73	33.16
Trinidad and Tobago	2023	54.03	1.88	54.64	57.37
Tunisia	2023	11.46	0.21	139.11	36.62
Turkmenistan	2023	3.07	0.39	24.67	59.97
Türkiye	2023	16.19	0.17	252.29	99.2
Uganda	2023	46.39	0.05	196.47	60.1
Ukraine	2023	10.78	0.02	4.8	27.12
United Arab Emirates	2023	90.59	1.47	5216.76	90.28
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	2023	337.07	0.78	483.47	377.22
United Republic of Tanzania	2023	8.93	0.23	779.87	48.83
United States of America	2023	49.26	0.24	16.98	313.15
Uruguay	2023	11.79	0.24	18.06	98.1
Uzbekistan	2023	2.77	0.72	31.31	24.49
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	2023	4.56	0.1	69.83	9.01
Viet Nam	2023	4.05	0.32	40.97	150.52
World	2023	21.52	0.69	38.05	115.46
Yemen	2023	4.76	0.61	57.07	42.58
Zambia	2023	5.3	0.04	33.65	20.72
Zimbabwe	2023	4.2	0.02	66.98	27.57

Progress on Water-Use Efficiency (SDG target 6.4)

Download snapshot

Format:

Resolution:

Include charts without data