Renewable freshwater resources per person in India
India: Renewable freshwater resources per person was 1,014 cubic meters in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
1,014 cubic meters
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
127th
of 183 countries
All-time high
3,238 cubic meters
in 1961
All-time low
1,014 cubic meters
in 2022
Years of data
62
1961–2022
Renewable freshwater resources per person in India, 1961–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
India recorded 1,014 cubic meters for renewable freshwater resources per person in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 62 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, renewable freshwater resources per person in India peaked at 3,238 cubic meters in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1,014 cubic meters, in 2022.
India ranks 127th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 62 years of available data.
Renewable freshwater resources per person in India, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3,238 cubic meters | — |
| 1962 | 3,162 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1963 | 3,089 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1964 | 3,017 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1965 | 2,950 cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 1966 | 2,888 cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 2,826 cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 1968 | 2,766 cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 1969 | 2,708 cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 1970 | 2,649 cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 1971 | 2,591 cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 1972 | 2,535 cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 2,478 cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 1974 | 2,422 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1975 | 2,365 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1976 | 2,310 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1977 | 2,257 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1978 | 2,205 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1979 | 2,154 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1980 | 2,104 cubic meters | -2.4% |
| 1981 | 2,055 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1982 | 2,007 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1983 | 1,961 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1984 | 1,916 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1985 | 1,871 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 1,829 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1987 | 1,788 cubic meters | -2.3% |
| 1988 | 1,748 cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 1,709 cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 1990 | 1,672 cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 1,636 cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 1,601 cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 1,568 cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 1,536 cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 1,506 cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 1,476 cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 1,447 cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 1,420 cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 1,393 cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 1,367 cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 1,342 cubic meters | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 1,317 cubic meters | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 1,295 cubic meters | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 1,273 cubic meters | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 1,252 cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 1,233 cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 1,214 cubic meters | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 1,197 cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 1,180 cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 1,163 cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 1,146 cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 1,131 cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 1,116 cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 1,102 cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 1,089 cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 1,076 cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 1,064 cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 1,052 cubic meters | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 1,041 cubic meters | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 1,031 cubic meters | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 1,022 cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 1,014 cubic meters | -0.8% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 1,014 cubic meters is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2,227 cubic meters, 46% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 1,014 cubic meters is below the median for South Asia, which is 1,697 cubic meters, 60% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2,961 cubic meters | 2,708 cubic meters | 3,238 cubic meters | 9 |
| 1970s | 2,397 cubic meters | 2,154 cubic meters | 2,649 cubic meters | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,899 cubic meters | 1,709 cubic meters | 2,104 cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,525 cubic meters | 1,393 cubic meters | 1,672 cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,267 cubic meters | 1,180 cubic meters | 1,367 cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,098 cubic meters | 1,041 cubic meters | 1,163 cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,023 cubic meters | 1,014 cubic meters | 1,031 cubic meters | 3 |
Countries ranked near India
More energy & mining data for India
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 0.7224 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 31.5% (2024)
- Ores and metals imports 6.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is renewable freshwater resources per person in India?
- Renewable freshwater resources per person in India was 1,014 cubic meters in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest renewable freshwater resources per person recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 3,238 cubic meters in 1961.
- What is the lowest renewable freshwater resources per person recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,014 cubic meters in 2022.
- How does India rank for renewable freshwater resources per person?
- India ranks 127th out of 183 countries with data for 2022.
- Is renewable freshwater resources per person rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Renewable freshwater resources per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Renewable internal freshwater resources refers to the quantity of internal freshwater from inflowing river basins and recharging groundwater aquifers. This is measured in cubic meters per person per year.