How freshwater withdrawal pressure changed in Southern Africa
South Africa’s recorded water stress indicator rose from 40.77% in 2000 to 67.60% in 2022. In the other five countries in this comparison, the 2022 indicator was below 3%.
Sources checked
Southern Africa Review Editorial Team
2000 and 2022Freshwater stress by country
2000
Shared scale · 0% to 67.6%
Botswana2.03%
Lesotho2.57%
Mozambique1.04%
Namibia0.92%
South Africa40.77%
Zambia2.9%
2022
Shared scale · 0% to 67.6%
Botswana2.23%
Lesotho2.57%
Mozambique1.75%
Namibia0.31%
South Africa67.6%
Zambia2.84%
The national indicator divides freshwater withdrawals by available renewable resources.
The indicator was 47.59% in 2010 and 65.03% in 2020. The 2022 reading was about 26.8 percentage points above the 2000 reading. South Africa’s level makes the differences among the other five countries small on a shared scale. Source 1
The other national ratios moved by less
Mozambique went from 1.04% in 2000 to 1.75% in 2022. Botswana moved from 2.03% to 2.23%, while Namibia moved from 0.92% to 0.32%. Lesotho’s reported series holds near 2.57% through the period. Source 1
The denominator accounts for environmental needs
The indicator compares withdrawal for agriculture, industry and services with the renewable freshwater available after allowance for environmental flows. A change can reflect the withdrawal estimate, the resource estimate or both. Source 2
National ratios average across river systems
Withdrawals can concentrate in a small part of a country or peak during a dry season. For irrigation, water supply or industrial planning, compare the national indicator with basin records, storage and withdrawals by season. Source 2