Countries in Oceania by water stress
Fresh water taken for farms, industry and homes, as a share of the fresh water available after nature’s own needs. Past 100%, a country draws down groundwater or desalinates. 4 countries in Oceania, highest first. World Bank, 2022
Median country
2.5%
half above, half below| # | Country | % of available water | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  New Zealand | 8.0% | Australia and New Zealand |
| 2 |  Australia | 4.7% | Australia and New Zealand |
| 3 |  Fiji | 0.3% | Melanesia |
| 4 |  Papua New Guinea | 0.1% | Melanesia |
No World Bank figure for 9 countries: Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu.
Questions
- Which country in Oceania has the most water stress?
- New Zealand has the most water stress in Oceania: 8.0% of its available fresh water (2022). Next come Australia (4.7% of its available fresh water) and Fiji (0.3% of its available fresh water).
- Which country in Oceania has the least water stress?
- Papua New Guinea, with 0.1% of its available fresh water (2022).
- What is the typical water stress of a country in Oceania?
- The median of the 4 countries in Oceania is 2.5% of its available fresh water: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
- Where do the figures come from?
- Fresh water taken for farms, industry and homes, as a share of the fresh water available after nature’s own needs. Past 100%, a country draws down groundwater or desalinates. Source: World Bank, 2022. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.
Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.