Renewable freshwater resources per person in Iran
Iran: Renewable freshwater resources per person was 1,435 cubic meters in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
1,435 cubic meters
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
114th
of 183 countries
All-time high
5,808 cubic meters
in 1961
All-time low
1,435 cubic meters
in 2022
Years of data
62
1961–2022
Renewable freshwater resources per person in Iran, 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
In 2022, renewable freshwater resources per person in Iran stood at 1,435 cubic meters. That is the lowest value across all 62 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, renewable freshwater resources per person in Iran peaked at 5,808 cubic meters in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1,435 cubic meters, in 2022.
That places Iran 114th out of 183 countries with data for 2022, putting it 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 Iran, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5,808 cubic meters | — |
| 1962 | 5,634 cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 1963 | 5,464 cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 1964 | 5,296 cubic meters | -3.1% |
| 1965 | 5,132 cubic meters | -3.1% |
| 1966 | 4,975 cubic meters | -3.1% |
| 1967 | 4,826 cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 1968 | 4,683 cubic meters | -2.9% |
| 1969 | 4,545 cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 1970 | 4,409 cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 1971 | 4,279 cubic meters | -2.9% |
| 1972 | 4,156 cubic meters | -2.9% |
| 1973 | 4,036 cubic meters | -2.9% |
| 1974 | 3,918 cubic meters | -2.9% |
| 1975 | 3,801 cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 1976 | 3,689 cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 1977 | 3,576 cubic meters | -3.0% |
| 1978 | 3,461 cubic meters | -3.2% |
| 1979 | 3,344 cubic meters | -3.4% |
| 1980 | 3,225 cubic meters | -3.6% |
| 1981 | 3,060 cubic meters | -5.1% |
| 1982 | 2,902 cubic meters | -5.2% |
| 1983 | 2,792 cubic meters | -3.8% |
| 1984 | 2,689 cubic meters | -3.7% |
| 1985 | 2,592 cubic meters | -3.6% |
| 1986 | 2,498 cubic meters | -3.6% |
| 1987 | 2,410 cubic meters | -3.5% |
| 1988 | 2,333 cubic meters | -3.2% |
| 1989 | 2,266 cubic meters | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 2,201 cubic meters | -2.9% |
| 1991 | 2,142 cubic meters | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 2,100 cubic meters | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 2,093 cubic meters | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 2,089 cubic meters | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 2,066 cubic meters | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 2,044 cubic meters | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 2,019 cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 1,992 cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 1,963 cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 1,935 cubic meters | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 1,905 cubic meters | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 1,889 cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 1,869 cubic meters | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 1,829 cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 1,789 cubic meters | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 1,751 cubic meters | -2.1% |
| 2007 | 1,722 cubic meters | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 1,702 cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 1,681 cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 1,660 cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 1,639 cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 1,619 cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 1,598 cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 1,577 cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 1,555 cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 1,533 cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 1,511 cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 1,492 cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 1,476 cubic meters | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 1,465 cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 1,453 cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 1,435 cubic meters | -1.2% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 1,435 cubic meters is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3,061 cubic meters, 47% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Iran's 1,435 cubic meters is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 164.95 cubic meters, 8.7× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5,151 cubic meters | 4,545 cubic meters | 5,808 cubic meters | 9 |
| 1970s | 3,867 cubic meters | 3,344 cubic meters | 4,409 cubic meters | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,677 cubic meters | 2,266 cubic meters | 3,225 cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,071 cubic meters | 1,963 cubic meters | 2,201 cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,807 cubic meters | 1,681 cubic meters | 1,935 cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,566 cubic meters | 1,476 cubic meters | 1,660 cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,451 cubic meters | 1,435 cubic meters | 1,465 cubic meters | 3 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More energy & mining data for Iran
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 0.5768 % 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 (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 2.0% (2022)
- Ores and metals imports 2.0% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is renewable freshwater resources per person in Iran?
- Renewable freshwater resources per person in Iran was 1,435 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 Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 5,808 cubic meters in 1961.
- What is the lowest renewable freshwater resources per person recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,435 cubic meters in 2022.
- How does Iran rank for renewable freshwater resources per person?
- Iran ranks 114th out of 183 countries with data for 2022.
- Is renewable freshwater resources per person rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iran 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.