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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  • 18 % of the world’s renewable water resources is being withdrawn, after taking into account environmental flow requirements (SDG indicator 6.4.2, 2023)

Available time series: 2000-2023
Number of countries (and areas) reporting in the last five years: 182
Proportion of world population covered by reporting in the last five years:100%

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
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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To track progress towards the target, SDG indicator 6.4.2 monitors how much freshwater is being withdrawn by all economic activities, compared to the total renewable freshwater resources available.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 (----)

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 (%)
>100 Critical
>75-100 High
>50-75 Medium
>25-50 Low
0-25 no stress
Data Not Available
Not Applicable

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 (----)

  • 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 (----)

Status of different components of indicator 6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources (----)

Water resources and withdrawal, total and per capita

Renewable water resources, world average: --- m3 per capita (----)
Water withdrawal, world average: --- m3 per capita (----)
Environmental flow requirements: ---% of renewable water resources (----)

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: 2013 - 2020

Country (or area), region, worldYear6.4.2 Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources
Overall (%) Renewable water resources Water withdrawal Environmental flow requirements
Afghanistan202065.3320.37
Albania202030.20.79
Algeria202011.6710.46
Andorra20200.32
Angola2020148.40.71
Antigua and Barbuda20200.050.01
Argentina2020876.2437.78
Armenia20207.772.83
Australia202049213.74
Australia and New Zealand20235.59
Austria202077.73.49
Azerbaijan202034.6712.58
Bahamas20200.7
Bahrain20200.120.43
Bangladesh20201227.0335.87
Barbados20200.080.08
Belarus202057.91.33
Belgium202018.34.26
Belize202021.730.1
Benin202026.390.23
Bhutan2020780.34
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)20205742.09
Bosnia and Herzegovina2013-202037.50.33
Botswana202012.240.22
Brazil2020864767.2
Brunei Darussalam20208.50.09
Bulgaria202021.35.08
Burkina Faso202013.50.82
Burundi202012.540.28
Cabo Verde20200.30.03
Cambodia2020476.12.18
Cameroon2020283.151.09
Canada2020290236.23
Central African Republic20201410.07
Central and Southern Asia202367.81
Chad202045.70.88
Chile2020923.0632.37
China20202840.22581.29
Colombia2020236029.12
Comoros20201.20.01
Congo20208320.09
Cook Islands20200
Costa Rica20201133.14
Croatia2020105.51.23
Cuba202038.126.96
Cyprus20200.780.28
Czechia202013.151.37
Côte d'Ivoire202084.141.16
Democratic People's Republic of Korea202077.158.66
Democratic Republic of the Congo202012830.68
Denmark202060.98
Djibouti20200.30.02
Dominica20200.20.02
Dominican Republic202023.59.08
Eastern and South-Eastern Asia202330.33
Ecuador2020442.49.92
Egypt202057.577.5
El Salvador202026.272.12
Equatorial Guinea2020260.02
Eritrea20207.320.58
Estonia202012.810.85
Eswatini20204.511.07
Ethiopia202012210.55
Europe and Northern America202311.35
Faroe Islands20200
Fiji202028.550.08
Finland20201103.5
France202021126.27
Gabon20201660.14
Gambia202080.1
Georgia202063.331.65
Germany202015428.48
Ghana202056.21.46
Greece202068.410.12
Grenada20200.20.01
Guatemala2020127.913.32
Guinea20202260.89
Guinea-Bissau202031.40.19
Guyana20202711.44
Haiti202014.021.45
Holy See20200
Honduras202092.161.61
Hungary20201044.66
Iceland20201700.28
India20201910.9761
Indonesia20202018.7222.64
Iran (Islamic Republic of)2020137.0493.3
Iraq202089.8656.62
Ireland2020521.54
Israel20201.782.3
Italy2020191.333.89
Jamaica202010.821.35
Japan202043078.4
Jordan20200.941.1
Kazakhstan2020108.4124.56
Kenya202030.74.03
Kiribati20200
Kuwait20200.021.25
Kyrgyzstan202023.627.66
Lao People's Democratic Republic2020333.57.35
Latin America and the Caribbean20235.37
Latvia202034.940.18
Lebanon20204.51.84
Lesotho20203.020.04
Liberia20202320.15
Libya20200.75.83
Liechtenstein20200
Lithuania202024.50.25
Luxembourg20203.50.05
Madagascar202033713.56
Malawi202017.281.36
Malaysia20205805.49
Maldives20200.030.01
Mali20201205.19
Malta20200.050.06
Marshall Islands20200
Mauritania202011.41.35
Mauritius20202.750.61
Mexico2020461.8989.55
Micronesia (Federated States of)20200
Monaco20200
Mongolia202034.80.46
Montenegro20200.16
Morocco20202910.43
Mozambique2020217.11.47
Myanmar20201167.833.39
Namibia202039.910.29
Nauru20200.01
Nepal2020210.29.5
Netherlands2020918.31
New Zealand20203274.89
Nicaragua2020164.521.27
Niger202034.052.58
Nigeria2020286.212.48
Niue20200
North Macedonia20206.40.47
Northern Africa and Western Asia202377.68
Norway20203932.69
Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand)20230.22
Oman20201.41.92
Pakistan2020246.8183.45
Palau20200
Panama2020139.31.21
Papua New Guinea20208010.39
Paraguay2020387.772.41
Peru20201879.838.55
Philippines202047985.87
Poland202060.59.21
Portugal202077.46.13
Puerto Rico20207.13.27
Qatar20200.060.88
Republic of Korea202069.727.08
Republic of Moldova202012.270.8
Romania2020212.016.42
Russian Federation20204525.4464.82
Rwanda202013.30.6
Saint Kitts and Nevis20200.020.02
Saint Lucia20200.30.04
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines20200.10.01
Samoa20200
Sao Tome and Principe20202.180.04
Saudi Arabia20202.425.99
Senegal202038.973.02
Serbia2020162.25.32
Seychelles202000.01
Sierra Leone20201600.21
Singapore20200.60.66
Slovakia202050.10.56
Slovenia202031.871
Solomon Islands202044.7
Somalia202014.73.3
South Africa202051.3519.19
South Sudan202049.50.66
Spain2020111.529.02
Sri Lanka202052.812.95
State of Palestine20200.840.45
Sub-Saharan Africa20239.76
Sudan202037.826.94
Suriname2020990.62
Sweden20201742.48
Switzerland202053.51.77
Syrian Arab Republic202016.816.76
Tajikistan202021.919.9
Thailand2020438.6157.31
Timor-Leste20208.221.17
Togo202014.70.22
Tokelau20200
Tonga20200
Trinidad and Tobago20203.840.38
Tunisia20204.623.59
Turkmenistan202024.7626.24
Tuvalu20200
Türkiye2020211.662.21
Uganda202060.10.64
Ukraine2020175.289.87
United Arab Emirates20200.154.98
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland20201478.42
United Republic of Tanzania202096.275.18
United States of America20203069444.29
Uruguay2020172.23.66
Uzbekistan202048.8758.9
Vanuatu202010
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)2020132522.63
Viet Nam2020884.1282.03
World202317.59
Yemen20202.13.56
Zambia2020104.81.57
Zimbabwe2020203.77