International Comparisons - Freshwater abstractions in OECD countries 1990–2012

Gross water abstraction:
water removed from any source, either permanently or temporarily. Mine water and drainage water are included. Water abstractions from ground water resources in any given time period are defined as the difference between the total amount of water withdrawn from aquifers and the total amount charged artificially or injected into aquifers. Water abstractions from precipitation (e.g. rain water collected for use) is included under abstraction from surface water. The amount of water artificially charged or injected are attributed to abstractions from that water resource from which they were originally withdrawn. Water used for hydroelectricity generation is an in-situ use and is excluded.

When interpreting those data, it should be borne in mind that the definitions and estimation methods employed by Member countries may vary considerably among countries.
Please refer to the following URL for more details: http://stats.oecd.org/OECDStat_Metadata/ShowMetadata.ashx?Dataset=WATER_ABSTRACT&Lang=en

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This dataset shows the state and changes over time in the abstractions of freshwater resources in OECD countries.

Water abstractions are a major pressure on freshwater resources, particularly from public water supplies, irrigation, industrial processes and cooling of electric power plants. It has significant implications for issues of quantity and quality of water resources.