Source
Source Contact person/organisation Contact person/organisationLast updated: August 30, 2023
Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org
Source for non-OECD countries: UNSD, Country Files from the UNSD/UNEP data collection on environment statistics (available at: https://unstats.un.org/unsd/envstats/country_files; Date of last update: 16 May 2023).
Australia) The approximate share of non-freshwater sources used in Australia is minimal (generally less than 1%). Break in series in 2015: change in methodology, e.g. estimates on self- and other supply by private households are no longer available due to data availability/quality issues. The old time series have been kept for these two data items from 2014-15 to 2016-17, but they have not been included in the total estimates. For more information on the methodological change, see
Belgium) "Public water supply" and "self and other water supply" exclude construction.
Canada) 2005 data: Estimates based on Statistics Canada, Industrial Water Use 2005. Services: data refer to the overall domestic sector. Mining excludes sand, gravel, clay, and ceramic and refractory minerals. For 2005, computer and electronic product manufacturing and electrical equipment, appliance and component manufacturing are included in the other manufacturing industries category. As of 2007, they appear separately. Other manufacturing industries combines the following industry groups 3-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS): clothing manufacturing, leather and allied product manufacturing, printing and related support activities and furniture and related product manufacturing. The industry groups included in other manufacturing industries may vary from year to year. For 2005, tidewater is included in surface water bodies and other points of discharge. As of 2007, it appears separately
Chile) For the years 2008 and 2010, the values of rural drinking water abstraction are added to the total "Public water supply" and "Private households".
Colombia) 2018 data is preliminary.
Costa Rica) "Public water supply use" consider the water provided only for legal authorized providers (AyA, ESPH, ASADAS and Municipalities). Data for water use from AyA and ESPH providers, are more accurate, since the actual billing data is used, with the inconvenience that the tariff system approved by the Regulatory Authority of Public Services does not take into account the different economic sectors, so it is only possible to make a disaggregation by households and the rest of the sectors are grouped as services. For "self- and other supply use": the difference between the "Total" and the sum of the disaggregations that are presented, is due to the fact that in "Total", data includes a small portion of extracted water that is counted as legally authorised for self supply, but that the records do not allow to identify its classification in a specific sector of the economy. Total losses during transport: data refers to water losses in economic activity ISIC 36 (public water supply for population and irrigation).
Czech Republic) Break in series in 2014 due to a change in data source. Losses during transport refer only to the public system. Self and other supply refers only to self-supply. Public water supply for some sectors is estimated based on past shares in total supply.
Germany) Import and export refer to the public sector only. The sum of public water supply and self and other supply does not represent the total water used, because water purchased from other enterprises (that are not public water suppliers) is not included in the definition.
France) Cooling in electricity production: power plants by the seaside using marine water are excluded. The small difference between the total of non-fresh water sources and the sum of the sub-items is mainly due to salt marshes that are attributed to the quarrying and mining industry (not reported here).
Greece) Break in series in 2016 due to a methodological change in calculating abstractions of surface water and self-supply in agriculture.
Hungary) Leakage losses refer only to the public sector.
Israel) Self supply is marginal and is included in public water supply. Private households include municipal water supply for all purposes and from 2015 includes also industrial consumption.
Italy) Water losses during use calculated only for the public water supply as difference between water input into the network and water supplied to end users. Data for "services" include construction. The 2012 figure non-fresh water abstracted include all uses (in 2012 a census was made on desalinisation plants) whereas the rest of the time series only refers to public supply.
Japan) Public water supply includes self-supply and other supply; and the total does not include supplies for fish farming, snow removal, production and distribution of electricity or construction. Services: data refer to the overall domestic sector.
Korea) Public water supply: the Water Supply Statistics concerns only the water use of households and does not include that of industrial and agricultural purpose.
See https://www.waternow.go.kr/web/board/STAT?pMENUID=9 and http://www.wamis.go.kr/ (Water Resources Management Information System) for more information
Latvia) Data are collected through a permit-based reporting system. Data is checked and validated but eventually published as reported, which can sometimes cause unexplained large fluctuations.
Luxembourg) There is no data on the sectoral use of public supply water
Mexico) Exports represent the volume of water that Mexico must deliver to the United States of America on the Bravo river according to the "Treaty of Waters" of 1944. The treaty includes the delivery of water from the Colorado River to Mexico.
Netherlands) Losses during transport, total: data only for Public Water Supply; it includes leakage from the use of tap water that cannot be traced to individual users. Break in series in 2003.
New Zealand) Water used in hydroelectricity generation is returned to the hydrological system. Discharges match abstraction, meaning that 'net' abstraction is zero. However, one hydroelectricity power station in Southland returns water direct to the sea, thereby preventing others from reusing the freshwater.
Poland) The large increase in use for construction in 2005-06 is due to large EU-funded infrastructure projects following Poland's joining of the EU
Sweden) Break in series in the 2000s for agriculture and industrial water use. For more information see
https://www.scb.se/contentassets/6212195289bb44b28ea5f3fd46242d74/mi0902_kd_2015_jm_171011.pdf , https://www.scb.se/contentassets/6212195289bb44b28ea5f3fd46242d74/mi0903_bs_2015.pdf
Türkiye) Self and other supply for the industrial sector excludes construction.
Data Characteristics Data Characteristics Unit of measure used Unit of measure used Power code Power codeLast updated: August 30, 2023
Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org
Source for non-OECD countries: UNSD, Country Files from the UNSD/UNEP data collection on environment statistics (available at: https://unstats.un.org/unsd/envstats/country_files; Date of last update: 16 May 2023).
Australia) The approximate share of non-freshwater sources used in Australia is minimal (generally less than 1%). Break in series in 2015: change in methodology, e.g. estimates on self- and other supply by private households are no longer available due to data availability/quality issues. The old time series have been kept for these two data items from 2014-15 to 2016-17, but they have not been included in the total estimates. For more information on the methodological change, see
Belgium) "Public water supply" and "self and other water supply" exclude construction.
Canada) 2005 data: Estimates based on Statistics Canada, Industrial Water Use 2005. Services: data refer to the overall domestic sector. Mining excludes sand, gravel, clay, and ceramic and refractory minerals. For 2005, computer and electronic product manufacturing and electrical equipment, appliance and component manufacturing are included in the other manufacturing industries category. As of 2007, they appear separately. Other manufacturing industries combines the following industry groups 3-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS): clothing manufacturing, leather and allied product manufacturing, printing and related support activities and furniture and related product manufacturing. The industry groups included in other manufacturing industries may vary from year to year. For 2005, tidewater is included in surface water bodies and other points of discharge. As of 2007, it appears separately
Chile) For the years 2008 and 2010, the values of rural drinking water abstraction are added to the total "Public water supply" and "Private households".
Colombia) 2018 data is preliminary.
Costa Rica) "Public water supply use" consider the water provided only for legal authorized providers (AyA, ESPH, ASADAS and Municipalities). Data for water use from AyA and ESPH providers, are more accurate, since the actual billing data is used, with the inconvenience that the tariff system approved by the Regulatory Authority of Public Services does not take into account the different economic sectors, so it is only possible to make a disaggregation by households and the rest of the sectors are grouped as services. For "self- and other supply use": the difference between the "Total" and the sum of the disaggregations that are presented, is due to the fact that in "Total", data includes a small portion of extracted water that is counted as legally authorised for self supply, but that the records do not allow to identify its classification in a specific sector of the economy. Total losses during transport: data refers to water losses in economic activity ISIC 36 (public water supply for population and irrigation).
Czech Republic) Break in series in 2014 due to a change in data source. Losses during transport refer only to the public system. Self and other supply refers only to self-supply. Public water supply for some sectors is estimated based on past shares in total supply.
Germany) Import and export refer to the public sector only. The sum of public water supply and self and other supply does not represent the total water used, because water purchased from other enterprises (that are not public water suppliers) is not included in the definition.
France) Cooling in electricity production: power plants by the seaside using marine water are excluded. The small difference between the total of non-fresh water sources and the sum of the sub-items is mainly due to salt marshes that are attributed to the quarrying and mining industry (not reported here).
Greece) Break in series in 2016 due to a methodological change in calculating abstractions of surface water and self-supply in agriculture.
Hungary) Leakage losses refer only to the public sector.
Israel) Self supply is marginal and is included in public water supply. Private households include municipal water supply for all purposes and from 2015 includes also industrial consumption.
Italy) Water losses during use calculated only for the public water supply as difference between water input into the network and water supplied to end users. Data for "services" include construction. The 2012 figure non-fresh water abstracted include all uses (in 2012 a census was made on desalinisation plants) whereas the rest of the time series only refers to public supply.
Japan) Public water supply includes self-supply and other supply; and the total does not include supplies for fish farming, snow removal, production and distribution of electricity or construction. Services: data refer to the overall domestic sector.
Korea) Public water supply: the Water Supply Statistics concerns only the water use of households and does not include that of industrial and agricultural purpose.
See https://www.waternow.go.kr/web/board/STAT?pMENUID=9 and http://www.wamis.go.kr/ (Water Resources Management Information System) for more information
Latvia) Data are collected through a permit-based reporting system. Data is checked and validated but eventually published as reported, which can sometimes cause unexplained large fluctuations.
Luxembourg) There is no data on the sectoral use of public supply water
Mexico) Exports represent the volume of water that Mexico must deliver to the United States of America on the Bravo river according to the "Treaty of Waters" of 1944. The treaty includes the delivery of water from the Colorado River to Mexico.
Netherlands) Losses during transport, total: data only for Public Water Supply; it includes leakage from the use of tap water that cannot be traced to individual users. Break in series in 2003.
New Zealand) Water used in hydroelectricity generation is returned to the hydrological system. Discharges match abstraction, meaning that 'net' abstraction is zero. However, one hydroelectricity power station in Southland returns water direct to the sea, thereby preventing others from reusing the freshwater.
Poland) The large increase in use for construction in 2005-06 is due to large EU-funded infrastructure projects following Poland's joining of the EU
Sweden) Break in series in the 2000s for agriculture and industrial water use. For more information see
https://www.scb.se/contentassets/6212195289bb44b28ea5f3fd46242d74/mi0902_kd_2015_jm_171011.pdf , https://www.scb.se/contentassets/6212195289bb44b28ea5f3fd46242d74/mi0903_bs_2015.pdf
Türkiye) Self and other supply for the industrial sector excludes construction.