Agriculture, value added to GDP (%)
Agriculture includes forestry, hunting, and fishing, as well as cultivation of crops and livestock production. Value added is the net output of a sector after adding up all outputs and subtracting intermediate inputs. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or depletion and degradation of natural resources.
Total economically active population in agriculture over total economically active population (%)
This refers to the share of the economically active population engaged in or seeking work in agriculture, hunting, fishing or forestry. Economically active population is defined as the number of all employed and unemployed persons (including those seeking work for the first time). It covers employers; self-employed workers; salaried employees; wage earners; unpaid workers assisting in a family, farm or business operation; members of producers' cooperatives; and members of the armed forces.
Rural population over Total population (%)
Residual population after subtracting urban population from total population and dividing it by the total population. Total population usually refers to the present-in-area (de facto) population which includes all persons physically present within the geographical boundaries of countries at the mid-point of the reference period.
Cultivated land (1000 ha)
The sum of the arable land and the area under permanent crops.
Arable land is the land under temporary agricultural crops (multiple-cropped areas are counted only once), temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow (less than five years). The abandoned land resulting from shifting cultivation is not included in this category. Data for “Arable land” are not meant to indicate the amount of land that is potentially cultivable.
Permanent crops are sown or planted once, and then occupy the land for some years and need not be replanted after each annual harvest, such as cocoa, coffee and rubber. This category includes flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees and vines, but excludes trees grown for wood or timber.
Crop yield (hg/ha)
Harvested production per unit of harvested area for crop products. In most of the cases yield data are not recorded but obtained by dividing the production data by the data on area harvested. Data on yields of permanent crops are not as reliable as those for temporary crops either because most of the area information may correspond to planted area, as for grapes, or because of the scarcity and unreliability of the area figures reported by the countries, as for example for cocoa and coffee.
Total Area equipped for full control irrigation (1000 ha)
The sum of surface irrigation, sprinkler irrigation and localized irrigation.
Area equipped for full control irrigation: Surface (1000 ha)
Surface irrigation systems are based on the principle of moving water over the land by simple gravity in order to moisten the soil. They can be subdivided into furrow, borderstrip and basin irrigation (including submersion irrigation of rice). Manual irrigation using buckets or watering cans are also included. Surface irrigation does NOT refer to the method of transporting the water from the source up to the field, which may be done by gravity or by pumping.
Area equipped for full control irrigation: Sprinkler (1000 ha)
A sprinkler irrigation system consists of a pipe network, through which water moves under pressure before being delivered to the crop via sprinkler nozzles. The system basically simulates rainfall in that water is applied through overhead spraying. These systems are also known as overhead irrigation systems.
Area equipped for full control irrigation: Localized (1000 ha)
Localized irrigation is a system where the water is distributed under low pressure through a piped network, in a pre-determined pattern, and applied water as a small discharge to each plant or adjacent to it. There are three main categories: drip irrigation (where drip emitters are used to apply water slowly to the soil surface), spray or micro-sprinkler irrigation (where water is sprayed to the soil near individual plants or trees) and bubbler irrigation (where a small stream is applied to flood small basins or the soil adjacent to individual trees). The following other terms are also sometimes used to refer to localized irrigation: micro-irrigation, trickle irrigation, daily flow irrigation, drop-irrigation, sip irrigation, diurnal irrigation.
Irrigation potential (1000 ha)
Area of land which is potentially irrigable. Country/regional studies assess this value according to different methods. For example, some consider only land resources, others consider land resources plus water availability, others include economical aspects in their assessments (such as distance and/or difference in elevation between the suitable land and the available water) or environmental aspects, etc. The figure includes the area already under agricultural water management.
Area equipped for full control irrigation by surface water (1000 ha)
Portion of the full control irrigation area that is irrigated from rivers or lakes (reservoirs, pumping or diversion).
Area equipped for full control irrigation by groundwater (1000 ha)
Portion of the full control irrigation area that is irrigated from wells (shallow wells and deep tube wells) or springs.
Area equipped for full control irrigation by mixed surface water and groundwater (1000 ha)
Portion of the full/partial control irrigation area that is irrigated from mixed surface water and groundwater.
Area equipped for full control irrigation by direct use of treated water (1000 ha)
Portion of the full/partial control irrigation area that is irrigated by direct use (i.e. with no or little prior dilution with freshwater during most of the year) of treated wastewater.
Water requirement ratio (%)
Ratio between irrigation water requirements and the amount of water withdrawn for irrigation:
WR Ratio = IWR/IWW
with:
WR Ratio = water requirement ratio; IWR = net irrigation water requirement; IWW = irrigation water withdrawal. This ratio is often referred to as “irrigation efficiency”. However, the use of the expression is subject of debate. The word “efficiency” implies that that water is being wasted when the efficiency is low. This is not necessarily so. The recoverable fraction of the non-consumed water can be used further downstream in the irrigation scheme, it can flow back to the river or it can contribute to the recharge of aquifers.
Percentage of area equipped for irrigation actually irrigated (%)
Percent of area equipped for full control irrigation that is actually irrigated in any given year. Irrigated land that is cultivated more than once a year is counted only once.
Prevalence of undernourishment (%)
Population below minimum level of dietary energy consumption (also referred to as prevalence of undernourishment) shows the percentage of the population whose food intake is insufficient to meet dietary energy requirements continuously.
Poverty headcount ratio (at US$1.25 a day, PPP)
Population below $1.25 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $1.25 a day at 2005 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.
Average import dependency ratio for the five main commodities in the country (sorted by food supply relevance)
In the course of analysing the food situation of a country, an important aspect is to know how much of the available domestic food supply has been imported and how much comes from the country's own production. The IDR answers this question. It is defined as
IDR = (Imports/(Production + Imports - Exports)) x 100
The complement of this ratio to 100 would represent that part of the domestic food supply that has been produced in the country itself. There is, however, a caveat to be kept in mind: these ratios hold only if imports are mainly used for domestic utilization and are not re-exported.
Extracted from: FAO 2011. Food balance sheets. A handbook. Available at:
Share of agricultural exports (in total) over total exported merchandise (%)
Refers to the share of exports of food and agriculture products, excluding fishery and forestry products, over total exported goods in monetary terms.
Share of agricultural imports (in total) over total imported merchandise (%)
Refers to the share of imports of food and agriculture products, excluding fishery and forestry products, over total imported goods in monetary terms.
Value of agriculture exports (US$)
Agriculture exports show the f.o.b. (free on board) value of food and agriculture products (excluding fishery and forestry products) provided to the rest of the world.
Value of agriculture imports (US$)
Agriculture imports show the c.i.f. (cost, insurance, fright) value of food and agriculture products (excluding fishery and forestry products) received from the rest of the world.
Total renewable water resources per capita (m3/person)
Total annual actual renewable water resources per inhabitant.
Total renewable water resources (actual) (km3/year)
The sum of internal renewable water resources and external actual renewable water resources. It corresponds to the maximum theoretical yearly amount of water actually available for a country at a given moment.
Surface water: total renewable (actual) (km3/year)
This is the sum of the internal renewable surface water resources and the total external actual renewable surface water resources.
Groundwater: total renewable (actual) (km3/year)
This is the sum of the internal renewable groundwater resources and the total external actual renewable groundwater resources. In general natural and actual external (entering) renewable groundwater resources are considered to be the same.
Overlap between surface water and groundwater (km3/year)
Part of the renewable freshwater resources that is common to both surface water and groundwater. It is equal to groundwater drainage into rivers (typically, base flow of rivers) minus seepage from rivers into aquifers.
Treated municipal wastewater (km3/year)
Treated wastewater (primary, secondary and tertiary) annually produced by municipal wastewater treatment facilities in the country.
Primary treatment: municipal wastewater effectively treated by a physical and/or chemical process involving settlement of suspended solids, or other process in which the BOD5 of the incoming wastewater is reduced by at least 20% and the total suspended solids of the incoming wastewater are reduced by at least 50% before discharge. Treatment processes can include: sedimentation tank, septic tank, skimming, chemical enhanced primary treatment.
Secondary treatment: municipal wastewater effectively treated by a process generally involving biological treatment with a secondary settlement or other process, resulting in a BOD removal of at least 70% and a COD removal of at least 75% before discharge. Treatment processes can include: aerated lagoon, activated sludge, up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket, trickling filters, rotating biological contactors, oxidation ditch, settling basin digester. For the purpose of this database natural biological treatment processes are also considered under secondary treatment as the constituents of the effluents from this type of treatment is similar to the conventional secondary treatment. Natural biological treatment refers to the process other than conventional wastewater treatment (primary, secondary, tertiary). This treatment makes use of natural bio-chemical processes to treat wastewater and can include: waste stabilization pond, constructed wetlands, overland treatment, nutrient film techniques, soil aquifer treatment, high-rate algal pond, floating aquatic macrophyte systems.
Tertiary treatment: municipal wastewater effectively treated by a process in addition to secondary treatment of nitrogen and/or phosphorous and/or any other specific pollutant affecting the quality or a specific use of water: microbiological pollution, colour, etc. This treatment is meant to remove at least 95% for BOD and 85% for COD and/or a nitrogen removal of at least 70% and/or a phosphorus removal of at least 80% and/or a microbiological removal. Treatment process can include: membrane filtration (micro-; nano-; ultra- and reverse osmosis), infiltration / percolation, activated carbon, disinfection (chlorination, ozone, UV).
Desalinated water produced (km3/year)
Water produced annually by desalination of brackish or salt water. It is estimated annually on the basis of the total capacity of water desalination installations.
Dependency ratio (%)
Indicator expressing the percent of total renewable water resources originating outside the country. This indicator may theoretically vary between 0% and 100%. A country with a dependency ratio equal to 0% does not receive any water from neighbouring countries. A country with a dependency ratio equal to 100% receives all its renewable water from upstream countries, without producing any of its own. This indicator does not consider the possible allocation of water to downstream countries.
Freshwater withdrawal as % of total actual renewable water resources (%)
Total freshwater withdrawn in a given year, expressed in percentage of the actual total renewable water resources. This parameter is an indication of the pressure on the renewable water resources.
Total water withdrawal (km3/year)
Annual quantity of self-supplied water withdrawn for irrigation, livestock and aquaculture purposes. It includes water from primary renewable and secondary freshwater resources, as well as water from over-abstraction of renewable groundwater or withdrawal of fossil groundwater, direct use of agricultural drainage water and (treated) wastewater, and desalinated water. Water for the dairy and meat industries and industrial processing of harvested agricultural products is included under industrial water withdrawal.
Agricultural water withdrawal (km3/year)
Annual quantity of self-supplied water withdrawn for irrigation, livestock and aquaculture purposes. It includes water from primary renewable and secondary freshwater resources, as well as water from over-abstraction of renewable groundwater or withdrawal of fossil groundwater, direct use of agricultural drainage water and (treated) wastewater, and desalinated water. Water for the dairy and meat industries and industrial processing of harvested agricultural products is included under industrial water withdrawal.
Industrial water withdrawal (km3/year)
Annual quantity of water withdrawn for industrial uses. It includes renewable water resources as well as potential over-abstraction of renewable groundwater or withdrawal of fossil groundwater and potential use of desalinated water or treated wastewater. This sector refers to self-supplied industries not connected to the public distribution network. The ratio between net consumption and withdrawal is estimated at less than 5%. It includes water for the cooling of thermoelectric plants, but it does not include hydropower.
Municipal water withdrawal (km3/year)
Annual quantity of water withdrawn primarily for the direct use by the population. It includes renewable freshwater resources as well as potential over-abstraction of renewable groundwater or withdrawal of fossil groundwater and the potential use of desalinated water or treated wastewater. It is usually computed as the total water withdrawn by the public distribution network. It can include that part of the industries, which is connected to the municipal network. The ratio between the net consumption and the water withdrawn can vary from 5 to 15% in urban areas and from 10 to 50% in rural areas.
Dam capacity per capita (m3/inhab)
Total dam storage capacity per capita,
Total Dam capacity (km3)
Total cumulative storage capacity of all dams in each country. The value indicates the sum of the theoretical initial capacities of all dams, which does not change with time. The amount of water stored within any dam is likely less than the capacity due to silting. Data on small dams may not be included, as their aggregate storage capacity is generally not significant.
Electricity – Total Hydropower production (GWh)
The electrical energy generated by turbines being spun by fresh flowing water. This can be from rivers or from man-made installations, where water flows from a high-level reservoir down through a tunnel and away from a dam.
Electricity – Gross production, public & self-producer (GWh)
The total amount of electricity generated by a power plant. It includes the consumption by station auxiliaries and any losses in the transformers that are considered integral parts of the station. Included also is total electric energy produced by pumping installations without deduction of electric energy absorbed by pumping. Production data includes solar, tide, wave, wind, wastes, wood and fuel cell production when reported.
Electricity imports (GWh)
They refer to the amounts of electric energy transferred to the country concerned, which are measured at the metering points on the lines crossing the frontiers. Included are imports of electric energy made by means of high-voltage lines crossing frontiers as well as imports made by means of low-voltage lines for use in the immediate vicinity of the frontier, if the quantities so transferred are known.
Electricity exports (GWh)
They refer to the amounts of electric energy transferred from the country concerned, which are measured at the metering points on the lines crossing the frontiers. Included are exports of electric energy made by means of high-voltage lines crossing frontiers as well as exports made by means of low-voltage lines for use in the immediate vicinity of the frontier, if the quantities so transferred are known.
Electricity - total net installed capacity of electric power plants, hydropower (MW)
The amount of hydropower that can be generated at a given moment by a power plant under ideal conditions.
Gross Theoretical hydropower potential (GWh)
Gross theoretical hydropower capability is the annual energy potentially available in the country if all natural flows were turbined down to sea level or to the water level of the border of the country (if the water course extends into another country) with 100% efficiency from the machinery and driving water-works. Unless otherwise stated, the figures have been estimated on the basis of atmospheric precipitation and water run off.
Population without access to electricity (%)
It refers to the percentage of population without access to electricity. Electrification data are collected from industry, national surveys and international sources.
Share of hydropower production over total electricity production (%)
Hydropower production as a percentage of gross electricity production
Calculation Criteria:
[Electricity - total hydropower production / Electricity - gross production, public & self-producer] * 100
Area salinized by irrigation (ha)
Irrigated area affected by salinization, including formerly irrigated land abandoned because of declining productivity caused by salinization. It does not include naturally saline areas. In general, each country has its own definition of an area salinized.
Percentage of area equipped for full control irrigation salinized (%)
Percent of area equipped for irrigation that has become salinized due to mineral buildup caused by inadequate drainage.
Area waterlogged by irrigation (ha)
Part of the land that is waterlogged because of irrigation. Waterlogging is the state of land in which the water table is located at or near the surface resulting in a decline of crop yields. Irrigation can contribute to the raising of the level of the aquifers. The non-saturated area of soils can become too small and the soils are over-saturated with water. If recharge to groundwater is greater than natural drainage, there is a need for additional drainage to avoid waterlogging.
Area waterlogged not irrigated (ha)
Part of the land in non-irrigated cultivated areas that is waterlogged. Waterlogging is the state of land in which the water table is located at or near the surface resulting in a decline of crop yields.
Global Climate Risk Index
The Global Climate Risk Index 2013 analyses to what extent countries have been affected by the impacts of weather-related loss events (storms, floods, heat waves, etc), both in terms of fatalities as well as economic losses. The Index usually ranges from 1 to 200. The lower the index the higher the vulnerability.
Investment Need Index (INI)
The greater the INI the higher the need for investment in water for agriculture and electricity in a given country. The lower the INI the lower the need for investment in water for agriculture and electricity in a given country.
Adapted and extracted from: FAO. 2012. Diagnostic Toolbox for Investment in Water agriculture and energy, Post Sirte Action, Research Paper.
Investment Potential Index (IPI)
The greater the IPI the lower the investment potential in irrigation and hydropower projects in a given country. The lower the IPI the greater the investment potential in irrigation and hydropower projects in a given country.
Adapted and extracted from: FAO. 2012. Diagnostic Toolbox for Investment in Water for agriculture and energy, Post Sirte Action, Research Paper.
