Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

Water: Production

Why India tops the world in water withdrawals

What this tab covers Who produces it and how much: world output over recent years, the top producing countries with their shares, USGS world figures for 2024 and 2025, and the largest producing companies globally and in India.

FAO AQUASTAT puts world freshwater withdrawals at 3,855 km³ in 2022, almost unchanged from 3,851 km³ in 2015, while withdrawals per person fell 7%. India withdrew the most, 647.5 km³ (16.8%), ahead of China (568.5 km³, an older AQUASTAT value carried forward, 14.7%) and the United States (444.3 km³, 11.5%), then Indonesia and Pakistan. The HHI across all countries is about 740 (calculated), which is unconcentrated, because withdrawals track population and irrigated land. Agriculture takes 71% worldwide but about 90% in India. Many national figures are modelled or carried forward between surveys, so small year-to-year changes mean little.

Total freshwater withdrawal · FAO AQUASTAT

2015 3,851 2022 3,855 World total, km³ (FAO AQUASTAT). World totals and country values for 2022 from FAO, AQUASTAT Water Data Snapshot 2025 (Table A3.1, Table A3.2, Figure 5); 2015 world total from the same report. Only 2015 and 2022 are shown because they come from one data vintage; AQUASTAT publishes interpolated country series and the World Bank WDI copy (ER.H2O.FWTL.K3, 2020: 3,896 km³) uses an earlier vintage, so mixing years would create false changes. China (568.48 km³) is missing from the Snapshot table; it is the AQUASTAT value for 2020, carried forward to 2021 in World Bank WDI, so it is not a 2022 measurement. HHI (calculated) is computed over all 181 countries with data (Snapshot 2022 values, plus WDI 2020 values for 19 countries missing from the Snapshot table: Chad to Egypt alphabetically), shares of the 2022 world total; top-10 only HHI is 713. Withdrawals are the closest equivalent of 'production' for water; many national values are modelled or carried forward between surveys.

Largest users 2022

India 16.8% China 14.8% United States 11.5% Indonesia 5.8% Pakistan 4.7% Iran 2.4% Philippines 2.4% Mexico 2.3% Concentration: HHI 743, unconcentrated.

Largest producers by company, global

  • Veolia Environnement: 110 million people supplied with drinking water (2025)
  • Suez: 67 million people supplied with drinking water (2025)
  • American Water Works: 14 million people served (2025)
  • United Utilities: 5.6 million domestic customers (FY2025/26)

Largest producers by company, India

India is the world's largest user of fresh water (647.5 km³ in 2022, FAO) but has few listed water utilities: supply is run by state boards, municipal bodies and farmers' own wells. Listed exposure is mainly through engineering and equipment firms (Wabag, Ion Exchange) and pump and pipe makers. The Jal Jeevan Mission is the main public spending programme for rural taps.