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, 2020)

Data provider: FAO through AQUASTAT
Available data series: 2000-2020
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 (2020)

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 (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 6.4.1 Change in water-use efficiency over time (2020)

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

Water-use efficiency, by sector (2020)

Water withdrawal, by source and sector, for one reporting country (2020)

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: 2020

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	2020	0.8	0.12	12.67	57.21
Albania	2020	12.1	1.72	134.43	28.53
Algeria	2020	13.81	0.99	272.11	23.87
Angola	2020	129	0.32	195.15	138.48
Antigua and Barbuda	2020	98.08	2.06	86.94	125.96
Argentina	2020	11.41	0.09	28.18	54
Armenia	2020	3.5	0.17	14.83	10.42
Australia	2020	90.26	0.36	109.28	403
Australia and New Zealand	2020	76.73	1.4	86.39	380.98
Austria	2020	98.09	2.6	32.74	352.89
Azerbaijan	2020	3.63	0.23	36.3	56.42
Bahamas	2020				271.51
Bahrain	2020	74.73	0.61	954.78	68.62
Bangladesh	2020	7.09	0.84	101.52	41.58
Barbados	2020	41.59	0.51	63.92	147.24
Belarus	2020	35.43	0.1	39.57	56
Belgium	2020	97.49	1.14	23.08	453.99
Belize	2020	11.53	0.16	7.07	88.04
Benin	2020	39.55	0.69	70.47	48.97
Bermuda	2020			255.18	798.13
Bhutan	2020	6.07	0.37	212.11	76.39
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	2020	12.97	0.42	258.98	132.27
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2020			51.12	34.35
Botswana	2020	61.35	0.08	122.25	90.46
Brazil	2020	21.29	0.51	28.47	70.61
Brunei Darussalam	2020		7.94		37.73
Bulgaria	2020	9.02	0.11	2.93	42.37
Burkina Faso	2020	13.36	0.07	204.96	17.18
Burundi	2020	7.18	0.06	38.4	32.96
Cabo Verde	2020	49.72	0.23	820.88	630.32
Cambodia	2020	7.83	0.39	237.64	86.32
Cameroon	2020	25.05	0.05	80.78	76.07
Canada	2020	40.38	0.24	12.68	228.8
Central African Republic	2020	17.59	0.13	33.67	14.5
Central and Southern Asia	2020	2.86	0.41	30.34	25.37
Chad	2020	10.47	0.05	23.47	65.01
Chile	2020	6.93	0.23	42.34	114.26
China	2020	25.81	2.1	53.64	74.51
Colombia	2020	8.63	0.05	168.2	50.97
Comoros	2020	70.04	0.12	189.04	126.11
Congo	2020	84.36	0.18	160.9	60.81
Costa Rica	2020	17.49	0.42	44.24	52.74
Croatia	2020	34.47	0.68	13.22	72.58
Cuba	2020	11.19	0.17	25.27	34.34
Cyprus	2020	74.94	0.8	153.5	173.41
Czechia	2020	132.47	1.53	80.01	198.81
Côte d'Ivoire	2020	38.51	0.32	45.89	104.55
Democratic People's Republic of Korea	2020	1.6	0.33	5	6.55
Democratic Republic of the Congo	2020	50.83	0.42	107.24	40.81
Denmark	2020	288.42	1.32	1320.4	540.49
Djibouti	2020		13.73		169.97
Dominica	2020		0		15.49
Dominican Republic	2020	8.2	0.22	36.2	57.27
Eastern and South-Eastern Asia	2020	19.91	1.09	55.17	81.58
Ecuador	2020	8.52	0.63	51.76	39.44
Egypt	2020	4.87	0.75	21.83	19.91
El Salvador	2020	9.6	0.03	23.05	32.45
Equatorial Guinea	2020			1401.19	316.81
Eritrea	2020	3.31	0.02	683.17	39.67
Estonia	2020	26.29	0.57	6.53	274.75
Eswatini	2020	3.45	0.11	64.94	54.17
Ethiopia	2020	5.35	0.18	400.01	42.27
Europe and Northern America	2020	49.51	0.33	20.05	220.9
Fiji	2020	35.44	0.49	70	91.39
Finland	2020	59.43	0.02	26.48	310.03
France	2020	80.61	1.93	19.13	333.66
Gabon	2020	97.04	0.33	409.2	91.09
Gambia	2020	11.52	0.12	12.92	21.64
Georgia	2020	8.27	0.44	9.35	16.81
Germany	2020	108.4	4.65	45.66	219.07
Ghana	2020	32.58	0.23	186.26	99.42
Greece	2020	15.63	0.42	61.49	79.82
Grenada	2020		2.36		57.25
Guatemala	2020	18.1	0.94	22.73	53.51
Guinea	2020	10.47	0.05	70.44	21.99
Guinea-Bissau	2020	4.67	0.11	14.32	20.6
Guyana	2020	3.92	0.01	135.53	47.14
Haiti	2020	7.92	0.29	63.94	41.45
Honduras	2020	11.8	0.23	43	43.78
Hungary	2020	24.46	0.43	9.08	125.27
Iceland	2020	60.17	0.83	15.57	170.77
India	2020	2.89	0.44	34.92	23.28
Indonesia	2020	4.09	0.33	41.65	19.7
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	2020	4.02	0.34	111.01	36.15
Iraq	2020	2.98	0.14	11.57	14.4
Ireland	2020	236.17	0	278.15	223.21
Israel	2020	134.15	2.12	554.14	247.91
Italy	2020	45.62	0.83	42.99	128.97
Jamaica	2020	8.12	2.06	2.12	60.12
Japan	2020	55.42	0.66	109.96	214.67
Jordan	2020	32.58	1.49	245.35	52.48
Kazakhstan	2020	7.42	0.05	10.13	41.8
Kenya	2020	14.9	0.19	42.4	94.23
Kuwait	2020	95.95	0.61	1932.33	166.04
Kyrgyzstan	2020	0.86	0.12	5.8	16.85
Lao People's Democratic Republic	2020	2.05	0.17	24.17	75.11
Latin America and the Caribbean	2020	11.79	0.27	31.99	55.38
Latvia	2020	135.59	0.03	138.18	219.09
Lebanon	2020	18.31	1.22	2.15	128.78
Lesotho	2020	43.4	0.02	34.3	60.75
Liberia	2020	4.27	0.04	3.6	5.36
Libya	2020	3.53	0.07	27.37	17.99
Liechtenstein	2020				459.92
Lithuania	2020	163.69	0.05	179.46	225.05
Luxembourg	2020	1189.98	0	1483.59	1124.19
Madagascar	2020	0.72	0.11	14.2	15.4
Malawi	2020	5.6	0.06	36.37	40.47
Malaysia	2020	57.34	1.21	69.21	147.59
Maldives	2020			1113.69	471.33
Mali	2020	1.95	0.04	927.4	57.72
Malta	2020	185.85	1.27	1538.52	266.91
Mauritania	2020	3.91	0.31	56.56	32.39
Mauritius	2020	16.19	0.38	188.73	27.32
Mexico	2020	11.9	0.27	37.48	55.18
Monaco	2020				1062.87
Mongolia	2020	22.85	0.39	28.95	124.9
Montenegro	2020	18.92	3.58	7.1	26.89
Morocco	2020	8.71	0.42	123.16	57.23
Mozambique	2020	7.76	0.06	135.49	21.44
Myanmar	2020	1.84	0.17	53.3	8.98
Namibia	2020	30.49	0.08	169.74	87.54
Nepal	2020	2.64	0.66	100.63	108.31
Netherlands	2020	85.98	19.88	21.77	281.59
New Zealand	2020	38.69	4.19	30.49	280.02
Nicaragua	2020	7.56	0.14	4481.2	35.25
Niger	2020	2.76	0	60.52	24.74
Nigeria	2020	30.12	0.25	69.58	47.53
North Macedonia	2020	17.56	1.86	67.49	20.66
Northern Africa and Western Asia	2020	11.15	0.46	71	52.78
Norway	2020	129.58	0.38	88.72	326.84
Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand)	2020	79.98	0.49	66.99	105.53
Oman	2020	38.1	1.02	150.11	274.35
Pakistan	2020	1.54	0.33	36.63	18.03
Panama	2020	41.12	0.32	1804.29	50.7
Papua New Guinea	2020			50.88	46.07
Paraguay	2020	13.9	0.17	66.55	63.42
Peru	2020	4.42	0.27	15.05	48.55
Philippines	2020	3.9	0.19	9.06	28.48
Poland	2020	51.6	0.09	22.68	174.98
Portugal	2020	28.49	0.5	18.19	158.09
Puerto Rico	2020	28.35	1.8	19.31	59.01
Qatar	2020	192.42	1.44	2069.34	169.04
Republic of Korea	2020	54.41	1.05	110.76	144.46
Republic of Moldova	2020	8.45	2.8	2.91	30.65
Romania	2020	28.47	0.29	12.34	123.56
Russian Federation	2020	18.91	0.06	13.43	48.68
Rwanda	2020	12.08	0.43	191.44	22.52
Saint Kitts and Nevis	2020		0.49		37.14
Saint Lucia	2020		0		96.18
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	2020			40348.48	60.91
Sao Tome and Principe	2020	7.92	0.39	70.13	18.49
Saudi Arabia	2020	25.08	0.79	184.18	111.22
Senegal	2020	5.72	0.07	3417	46.92
Serbia	2020	6.53	0.17	2.33	37.5
Seychelles	2020	83	2.77	40.2	109.1
Sierra Leone	2020	8.41	3.55	3.51	12.86
Singapore	2020			226.7	802.4
Slovakia	2020	149.87	1.7	96.71	206.94
Slovenia	2020	41.39	8.64	15.21	169.91
Somalia	2020	0.2	0.03	50.05	30.21
South Africa	2020	13.77	0.11	16.2	63.25
South Sudan	2020	8.57	0.03	9.76	17.81
Spain	2020	36.23	0.57	36.24	184.49
Sri Lanka	2020	6.18	0.32	26.93	67.01
State of Palestine	2020	26.51	3.91	70.21	43.45
Sub-Saharan Africa	2020	12.82	0.13	51.29	50.62
Sudan	2020	2.88	0.18	255.44	56.57
Suriname	2020	6.92	0.84	10.95	49.08
Sweden	2020	187.93	3.62	78.78	524.5
Switzerland	2020	404.82	6.35	267.2	562.58
Syrian Arab Republic	2020	1.08	0.12	9.95	6.98
Tajikistan	2020	1.02	0.29	1.44	6.16
Thailand	2020	7.27	0.42	46.8	96.88
Timor-Leste	2020	1.53	0.09	267.86	11.77
Togo	2020	21.38	0.02	180.93	25.77
Trinidad and Tobago	2020	53.36	2.46	50.44	58.53
Tunisia	2020	10.02	0.32	143.33	32.14
Turkmenistan	2020	1.17	0.22	16.87	30.02
Türkiye	2020	13.75	0.38	251.77	83.31
Uganda	2020	38.74	0.04	168.24	49.55
Ukraine	2020	7.62	0.1	4.25	20.84
United Arab Emirates	2020	74.45	1.47	3631.1	88.69
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	2020	307.62	0.7	421.82	347.4
United Republic of Tanzania	2020	8.83	0.23	775.41	48.06
United States of America	2020	43.03	0.19	14.72	274.03
Uruguay	2020	12.75	0.23	108.85	90.79
Uzbekistan	2020	1.6	0.43	14.77	16.52
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	2020	4.01	0.11	57.14	8.48
Viet Nam	2020	2.63	0.27	23.91	100.56
World	2020	18.9	0.59	32.08	104.65
Yemen	2020	5.19	0.67	62.31	46.42
Zambia	2020	13.75	0.03	66.64	44.54
Zimbabwe	2020	4.47	0.04	47.29	19.86

Progress on Water-Use Efficiency (SDG target 6.4)

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