The data shows the major OECD countries based on per capita freshwater abstractions or use in 2016 (or latest available year). During this time, Australia used about 697 cubic meters per capita per year. Abstractions indicate the water that was taken from ground or surface waters.
Freshwater resources in the U.S. and CanadaFreshwater use was among the highest in Canada and Spain, at 1,017 cubic meters per capita and 708 cubic meters per capita, respectively, in recent years. In the U.S., a large majority of water is used for agricultural irrigation and for thermoelectric purposes, where water is used to cool electricity-generating equipment.
