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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)

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 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

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 (2019)
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, worldYear 6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time
Overall Agriculture, forestry and fishing Industry Services
Afghanistan20190.820.1212.1960.37
Albania20198.91.6710.9928.18
Algeria201914.570.65336.5923.28
Angola2019139.010.23199.16157.62
Antigua and Barbuda2019123.12.03115.88155.88
Argentina201912.70.1831.8159.41
Armenia20193.670.1922.9612.1
Australia201982.190.37114.24261.29
Australia and New Zealand201971.241.3388.64262.84
Austria2019104.963.1635.36376.38
Azerbaijan20193.830.1944.8351.72
Bahamas2019304.29
Bahrain201979.20.67982.5474.22
Bangladesh20196.710.8196.1139.19
Barbados201951.870.9384.57181.31
Belarus201934.810.0737.1855.99
Belgium2019102.40.6524.22477.01
Belize201913.880.137.63108.05
Benin201939.120.5772.9547.8
Bermuda2019256.36811.72
Bhutan20196.20.51225.2873.88
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)201914.130.27275.01148.53
Bosnia and Herzegovina201972.9835.07
Botswana201973.140.08161.2101.61
Brazil201921.090.3826.6370.23
Brunei Darussalam20194.0834.36
Bulgaria201990.082.8443.94
Burkina Faso201912.90.06170.6918.16
Burundi20196.410.0533.3229.79
Cabo Verde201957.640.24811.5766.17
Cambodia20198.30.35242.1796.1
Cameroon201925.760.0585.4477.23
Canada201942.660.2913.31242.18
Central African Republic201917.470.1333.6914.35
Central and Southern Asia20193.020.4133.7526.22
Chad201910.440.042365.27
Chile20197.380.2341.8126.19
China201924.812.2844.24101.46
Colombia20199.570.0919.6854.27
Comoros201970.440.1188.91126.97
Congo201990.740.17164.8168.52
Costa Rica201917.380.3640.7668.75
Croatia201960.740.6149.3476.41
Cuba201912.850.228.3239.73
Cyprus201973.040.91154.18157.29
Czechia2019125.61.3473.18200.37
Côte d'Ivoire201937.650.3245.67101.57
Democratic People's Republic of Korea20191.680.335.396.86
Democratic Republic of the Congo201949.550.22108.8238.46
Denmark2019315.611.861408.84588.61
Djibouti201912.49170.2
Dominica2019016.21
Dominican Republic20198.770.2137.2362.5
Eastern and South-Eastern Asia201919.761.248.5399.54
Ecuador20199.130.6156.5342.19
Egypt20193.810.5523.7818.81
El Salvador201910.440.0526.4734.63
Equatorial Guinea20191657.1301.98
Eritrea20193.330.02690.140.05
Estonia201923.080.125.69230.19
Eswatini20193.570.1167.4555.83
Ethiopia20195.110.09405.1239.87
Europe and Northern America201951.550.3421.33229.83
Fiji201943.670.3276.17117.04
Finland201974.190.0527.53320.17
France201984.931.6921.11354.33
Gabon201999.120.25494.5180.34
Gambia201912.030.0611.3423.76
Georgia20199.250.49.4317.14
Germany2019112.784.7448.75225.81
Ghana201932.510.2198.895.17
Greece201917.110.5158.3189.01
Grenada20192.3866.29
Guatemala201918.531.0422.8754.9
Guinea20199.680.0456.7122.55
Guinea-Bissau20193.530.1313.5614.38
Guyana20192.580.0169.2537.68
Haiti20194.660.2154.4419.62
Honduras2019130.249.5847.66
Hungary201927.310.3510.31132.84
Iceland201962.580.8415.82178.52
India20193.120.4638.8624.84
Indonesia20194.140.2643.3220.05
Iran (Islamic Republic of)20194.210.33111.2639.11
Iraq20193.350.0917.1713.3
Ireland2019242.580.23243.6260.66
Israel2019134.561.51569.58284.83
Italy201949.610.9847.07138.8
Jamaica20198.881.862.2266.94
Japan201957.080.76112.65218.72
Jordan201933.041.49255.4552.75
Kazakhstan20197.490.0411.9832.71
Kenya201911.920.2536.2373.25
Kuwait2019106.580.752677.69145.4
Kyrgyzstan20190.910.115.9118.64
Lao People's Democratic Republic20191.940.1121.9474.89
Latin America and the Caribbean201912.580.2731.0658.69
Latvia2019147.280.02172.13232.66
Lebanon201923.722.375.73153.49
Lesotho201947.260.0431.4272.07
Liberia20194.380.043.795.44
Libya20194.90.0267.4313.7
Liechtenstein2019480.97
Lithuania2019163.550.03182.5223.45
Luxembourg20191189.9801483.591176.93
Madagascar20190.80.1117.6516.89
Malawi20193.420.0420.3425.33
Malaysia201961.180.9276.96154.37
Maldives20191802.88694.38
Mali20191.920.05919.8456.2
Malta2019188.342.221428.28266.32
Mauritania20193.950.349.235.73
Mauritius201919.350.38210.6532.59
Mexico201913.080.2742.9459.57
Monaco20191240.22
Mongolia201924.170.3831.56128.78
Montenegro201922.7145.668.6731.45
Morocco20199.110.49126.4360.04
Mozambique20197.790.06146.0820.85
Myanmar20191.980.1955.939.87
Namibia201933.340.06184.7395.93
Nepal20192.350.62107.2490.5
Netherlands201987.7919.821.65304.54
New Zealand201937.683.9629.61273.72
Nicaragua20196.390.236.624.26
Niger20192.66053.1224.87
Nigeria201931.690.2468.8351.76
North Macedonia201910.460.89.7421.41
Northern Africa and Western Asia201911.520.4181.8652.14
Norway2019132.241.08101.25317.97
Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand)201985.70.3169.65114.63
Oman201948.331.27156.56412.27
Pakistan20191.570.3139.4818.46
Panama201950.090.292858.6356.41
Papua New Guinea201951.2849.51
Paraguay201914.090.1666.4764.79
Peru20194.980.2816.9455.05
Philippines20194.140.1610.3229.71
Poland201949.40.221.86163.45
Portugal201930.750.4919.33171.47
Puerto Rico201928.912.3119.4660.8
Qatar2019209.111.352598.74124.45
Republic of Korea201955.151.49113.6144.52
Republic of Moldova20198.583.863.133.97
Romania201929.270.2813.99122.36
Russian Federation201919.310.0513.8449.49
Rwanda201912.680.39193.7224.6
Saint Kitts and Nevis20190.5643.93
Saint Lucia20190125.93
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines201941909.6362.01
Sao Tome and Principe20197.760.3362.618.46
Saudi Arabia201928.150.79222.21104.08
Senegal20197.830.0983.53125.97
Serbia20196.250.152.2937.83
Seychelles201999.839.7337.98134.95
Sierra Leone20198.790.124.6314.45
Singapore2019238.08828.42
Slovakia2019140.741.5104.68208.73
Slovenia201945.476.6717.02175.22
Somalia20190.20.0350.8230.67
South Africa201914.410.1317.3451.37
South Sudan20198.960.0213.2615.05
Spain201939.980.6239.97208.5
Sri Lanka20196.320.2629.267.91
State of Palestine201931.834.878.1650.31
Sub-Saharan Africa201913.090.1250.1749.75
Sudan20192.970.17270.5358.23
Suriname20197.010.939.4653.37
Sweden2019200.983.9279.38387.7
Switzerland2019414.576.21272.17577.16
Syrian Arab Republic20191.010.119.356.56
Tajikistan20190.920.282.254.41
Thailand20197.660.3953.5298.72
Timor-Leste20191.420.06272.2610.66
Togo201921.570.01193.2325.53
Trinidad and Tobago201957.642.4264.8757.6
Tunisia201910.370.29221.7433.31
Turkmenistan20191.330.1330.1119.52
Türkiye201913.750.31232.5589.19
Uganda201934.260.05108.9949.89
Ukraine20197.120.064.5624.48
United Arab Emirates201974.910.944431.4586.43
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland2019327.910.61473.5366.48
United Republic of Tanzania20197.490.19612.5342.9
United States of America201944.670.1915.77282.67
Uruguay201913.340.2154.987.24
Uzbekistan20191.560.4314.8315.35
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)20194.990.1654.513.1
Viet Nam20192.70.3923.8297.87
World201919.40.6332.43114.02
Yemen20195.240.6860.8647.18
Zambia201913.630.0355.8148.76
Zimbabwe20194.450.0447.5319.72
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