Certain food products use considerably more water in their production than others. Globally, an average of 5,605 liters of freshwater is needed to produce just one kilogram of cheese. Nut production is also water intensive, needing more than 4,000 liters to produce a kilogram.
Average freshwater withdrawals of food product worldwide as of 2018
(in liters per kilogram of food product)
Characteristic
Water withdrawls in liters per kilogram of food product
*The source adds the following information: "We derived data from a comprehensive meta-analysis, identifying 1530 studies for potential inclusion, which were supplemented with additional data received from 139 authors. Studies were assessed against 11 criteria designed to standardize methodology, resulting in 570 suitable studies with a median reference year of 2010. The data set covers ~38,700 commercially viable farms in 119 countries and 40 products representing ~90% of global protein and calorie consumption'.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
OWID, & Expert(s) (Poore, J & Nemecek, T). (January 1, 2020). Average freshwater withdrawals of food product worldwide as of 2018 (in liters per kilogram of food product) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 19, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1179835/freshwater-withdrawals-of-food-product-worldwide/
OWID, und Expert(s) (Poore, J & Nemecek, T). "Average freshwater withdrawals of food product worldwide as of 2018 (in liters per kilogram of food product)." Chart. January 1, 2020. Statista. Accessed December 19, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1179835/freshwater-withdrawals-of-food-product-worldwide/
OWID, Expert(s) (Poore, J & Nemecek, T). (2020). Average freshwater withdrawals of food product worldwide as of 2018 (in liters per kilogram of food product). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 19, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1179835/freshwater-withdrawals-of-food-product-worldwide/
OWID, and Expert(s) (Poore, J & Nemecek, T). "Average Freshwater Withdrawals of Food Product Worldwide as of 2018 (in Liters per Kilogram of Food Product)." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Jan 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1179835/freshwater-withdrawals-of-food-product-worldwide/
OWID & Expert(s) (Poore, J & Nemecek, T), Average freshwater withdrawals of food product worldwide as of 2018 (in liters per kilogram of food product) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1179835/freshwater-withdrawals-of-food-product-worldwide/ (last visited December 19, 2024)
Average freshwater withdrawals of food product worldwide as of 2018 (in liters per kilogram of food product) [Graph], OWID, & Expert(s) (Poore, J & Nemecek, T), January 1, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1179835/freshwater-withdrawals-of-food-product-worldwide/
