Skip to content
Moojaz — موجز
Search
Menu
HomeRegionsMaghrebAfricaMiddle EastEuropeAsiaAmericasWorldSectionsPoliticsEconomySecurityHealthScienceTechnologyAIEnvironmentCultureSportsSearch
Nigeria · South Africa
File

Africa: research on water demand

This dossier follows scientific estimates of Africa's water needs, their methods and limitations, distinguishing modelled demand from observed consumption.

Last updated : 1 key moments
Shared tap in Cape Town, March 2017. Archive illustration, not a measurement site identified in the study. Amanda Solomon, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Shared tap in Cape Town, March 2017. Archive illustration, not a measurement site identified in the study. Amanda Solomon, CC BY-SA 4.0. — Amanda Solomon / H18 Foundation / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ — Le Cap, 20 mars 2017, sans modification.

Where things stand

A study published in Nature on 28 October 2026 estimates Africa's annual water demand in 2020 at 347 km³, with irrigation accounting for 65%. The total covers the whole continent, not only sub-Saharan Africa.

Reported information

Study maps Africa's water needs

A study published in Nature on 28 October 2026 estimates Africa's annual water demand in 2020 at 347 km³, with irrigation accounting for 65%. The total covers the whole continent, not only sub-Saharan Africa.

Shared tap in Cape Town, March 2017. Archive illustration, not a measurement site identified in the study. Amanda Solomon, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Shared tap in Cape Town, March 2017. Archive illustration, not a measurement site identified in the study. Amanda Solomon, CC BY-SA 4.0. — Amanda Solomon / H18 Foundation / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ — Le Cap, 20 mars 2017, sans modification.

Researchers combine data and modelling across six sectors. Nigeria is among the high-demand countries; some southern African areas exceed estimated availability.

The authors distinguish needs from actual consumption. Data gaps and assumptions about ecosystem protection limit local precision. Sufficient physical availability does not guarantee access to piped water.

Sources 2