Domestic water consumption

The data above are approximate: I consulted several sources, and there are wide variations between them. The differences between old and more recent data may be due to statistic methodology.

The consumption shown includes:

• Drinking water
• Cooking
• Laundry
• Dishwashing
• Bathroom
• Toilet flush

An interesting point: in France, the toilet flush consumes about 30% of the total volume. This is the area where consumption could be reduced considerably. The dishwasher consumes very little, much less than when you wash the dishes in the sink. Everyone knows now that a shower uses only a fraction of the water in a bath, a fourth or a fifth only, but little can be gained there as most people take showers and not baths.

It is not clear if your car washing or watering your garden are included in the above data. However, agricultural and industrial water use is not included (in principle).

A range of 20 to 40 liters of freshwater per person per day is generally considered to be a necessary minimum to meet needs for drinking and sanitation alone, according to Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security. If water for bathing and cooking is included as well, this figure varies between 27 and 200 liters per capita per day.

In the OECD countries, the average domestic consumption is approximately 180 litres per capita and per day. In certain cities of the United States, the consumption average can be higher than 400 litres, whereas in many towns in Africa, the average is lower than 30 litres.

© François de Dardel