Consumption of water per household Australia FY 2022, by state

During the fiscal year 2022, approximately 0.33 megaliters of water were consumed per household in the Northern Territory, the highest per household consumption in Australia. In the same year, households in Victoria consumed around 0.16 megaliters of water on average. 

Household spend on water services

The expenditure on water per kiloliter in Australia remained fairly stable between 2015 and 2022. The household expenditure on distributed water and wastewater services was relatively evenly split. While per household consumption was highest in the Northern Territory, the overall household expenditure on water services was the greatest in New South Wales, likely due to the size of its population.

Sources and usage

The leading water source in Australia is surface water, followed by groundwater, with just a small portion sourced from desalination plants. Water is a limited resource in most of Australia, due to its dry climate and the fact that the largest part of the country is desert or semi-arid. While household consumption of water is an important consideration, when looking at the distribution of water usage in Australia, the majority is used by the agriculture industry.