Published 2026-05-10 · data 2022 · percent of irrigated water use
Irrigation uses most withdrawn water
Dams and pumps turn deserts into breadbaskets — at a water cost.
Drip efficiency meets Jevons — more crop area can eat the savings. This grid divides irrigation withdrawals (2022 snapshot) into colored bands — Irrigated agriculture and Other irrigated uses — using equal squares so you compare shares, not country size on a map.
1 cell = 0.1 percent of irrigated water use (0.1% of irrigation withdrawals) · 1,000 cells
Context
The 2022 figures from FAO water and irrigation put Irrigated agriculture at 85% of irrigation withdrawals and Other irrigated uses at 15% — about 100 percent of irrigated water use in this edition's rounding.
FAO: irrigation dominates consumptive water use in agriculture.
Share and export
Credit this grid as Inagrid — https://inagrid.com/e/2026-05-10-irrigation-water