Water withdrawal and water use in Sweden 2020
Minor changes in water use
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2022-11-30 8.00
The total water use in Sweden in 2020 was more or less unchanged compared to the situation in 2015. However, within some industries there are significant changes. The use of water within agriculture has increased significantly while the manufacturing industry decreased the use of seawater.
In total, some 2.5 billion cubic meters of fresh water were used in Sweden throughout the year 2020, which is more or less equal to the volumes in 2015 when the last survey on water use was conducted.
Water use in households remained on the same level compared to 2015, whereas the manufacturing slightly increased its use of fresh water. The most significant change was within agriculture with an increase of more than 30 percent. Industrial use of seawater decreased with roughly 15 percent.
Manufacturing industry - main water user
The manufacturing industry remains the biggest water user in Sweden. Roughly 61 percent of the total fresh water abstraction is used within the industry sector. Households accounted for 22 percent of the fresh water consumption and Other use, 12 percent. Despite an increased use of water, the agricultural sector accounted only for 4 percent of the total volumes of fresh water.
| 2015 | 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| User | Million m3 | Million m3 | Change i percent |
| Households, fresh water | 565 | 568 | 0,5 |
| Agriculture, fresh water | 75 | 102 | 36 |
| Industry, fresh water | 1 478 | 1 551 | 5 |
| Other use, fresh water | 313 | 307 | ‑2 |
| Industry, seawater | 639 | 546 | ‑15 |
| Households, seawater | ‑ | 1 | ‑ |
| Total fresh water use | 2 431 | 2 529 | 4 |
| Total water use | 3 070 | 3 075 | 0,1 |
Source: Statistics Sweden
Surface water most common source of water
Some 77 percent of the fresh water used in 2020 was surface water. Groundwater amounted to 14 percent and the remaining part comprised water from unknown source.
Source: SCB
Self-supply main source of water
In total, the main source of water is self-supply. Some 66 percent of all water is abstracted from own sources, mostly within industry. However, as for drinking water for household consumption, the situation is reverse. Approximately 87 percent of the water consumed by households is provided via public water networks.
Publication
This report is published in more detail in the report Water withdrawl and water use in Sweden 2020.
Statistical Database
More information is available in the Statistical Database
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.