Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Canada
Canada: Share of land covered by lakes and rivers was 9.3% in 2022. ▬ Flat
Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Canada, 2000–2022
Source: UN Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Canada stood at 9.3%. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Canada peaked at 9.3% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 9.2%, in 2001.
That places Canada 6th out of 208 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 9.2% | — |
| 2001 | 9.2% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 9.2% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 9.2% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 9.2% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 9.2% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 9.2% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 9.2% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 9.3% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 9.3% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 9.3% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 9.2% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 9.2% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 9.2% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 9.2% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 9.2% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 9.2% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 9.2% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 9.3% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 9.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 9.3% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 9.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 9.3% | +0.1% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 9.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%, 20.4× the median. (82 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.2% | 9.2% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.2% | 9.2% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.3% | 9.3% | 9.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 3 Turkmenistan 18.1% compare
- 4 Saint Martin (French Part) 11.0% compare
- 5 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 10.5% compare
- 7 Bahamas 8.1% compare
- 8 Nicaragua 7.2% compare
- 9 Burundi 7.0% compare
More reference data data for Canada
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 20.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 6.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 22.03 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 99.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.88 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Canada?
- Share of land covered by lakes and rivers in Canada was 9.3% in 2022, according to UN Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land covered by lakes and rivers recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 9.3% in 2018.
- What is the lowest share of land covered by lakes and rivers recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.2% in 2001.
- How does Canada rank for share of land covered by lakes and rivers?
- Canada ranks 6th out of 208 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of land covered by lakes and rivers rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from UN Environment Programme – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land covered by lakes and rivers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Lakes and rivers permanent water area (% of total land area).