Quelle est la consommation des ménages en eau potable ?
Chaque Français consomme en moyenne 150 litres d’eau potable par jour, soit environ 55 mètres cubes (m3) par an. Cette consommation est relativement stable depuis une dizaine d’années, et représente seulement une partie des usages de l’eau douce en France, aux côtés de l’agriculture, l’industrie et la production d’énergie.
On average, each French person consumes 150 liters of drinking water per day, or approximately 55 cubic meters (m³) per year. This consumption has remained relatively stable for about a decade, and represents only part of freshwater uses in France, alongside agriculture, industry, and energy production.
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- Water consumption leveling offDecline until 2013After increasing between 1998 and 2004, drinking water consumption for domestic uses declined until 2013, reaching its lowest level at 143 liters per day per person. This decrease is notably explained by rising water prices and the replacement of sanitary fixtures and household appliances, which are now more water-efficient.Stable since 2014Since 2014, consumption has stabilized between 144 and 150 liters per day per person. This shows that our consumption habits remain relatively constant, with a recent trend toward a slight increase (150 liters per day in 2022), according to data from the National Observatory of Water and Sanitation Services. However, this national average masks significant regional differences.
- Water consumption: significant regional differencesRegional disparitiesDrinking water consumption varies significantly from one region to another, ranging from 32.3 cubic meters per capita in Savoie to 88 cubic meters in Réunion in 2021 (see all departmental details in this online publication page 144).Explanatory factors• climate: departments in southern France, warmer and drier, experience higher consumption; • tourism: in tourist areas, particularly on the southwest and southeast French coast, the seasonal population significantly increases water demand; • pools and gardens: their greater presence in certain regions increases water consumption; • use of private boreholes (declared or not) for garden irrigation and various washing.
- Drinking water: one use among others of water resourcesWater use distributionDrinking water is only one use of freshwater in France. On average, between 2010 and 2021, its consumption represented 26% of total water consumed, far behind agriculture (58%). Cooling of power plants (12%) and industrial uses (4%) complete this distribution, according to the latest SDES summary.
Further reading
- Comment est utilisée l’eau douce en France ?notre-environnement.gouv.fr
L’eau douce est utilisée en France pour différents usages : eau potable, production d’électricité, agriculture… Depuis les années 2000, son utilisation est en baisse.
