Average annual rainfall

In brief

The "Average annual rainfall" ranking covers 180 countries and territories. Lowest value: Egypt (18 mm). Highest value: Colombia (3,240 mm). Median: 1,036 mm (data: 2021–2022). The top 10% of countries exceed 2,333 mm, while the bottom 10% stay below 227 mm. By continent, the median is highest in Oceania (2,592 mm) and lowest in Asia (619 mm).

Median by continent

Why this indicator matters

This indicator gives the average amount of water that falls on a country each year, as rain or snow. It helps compare climates, from deserts to very wet regions, and understand the water resources available.

What makes this indicator vary

Precipitation depends on latitude, proximity to oceans, terrain and prevailing winds. Equatorial zones and coasts facing humid winds are very wet. Inland regions, those sheltered by mountains or those in subtropical zones are drier.

Reading precautions

It is an average across the whole territory and over long periods: it hides large differences between regions and seasons. A lot of rain does not mean enough drinking water, because that depends on storage, evaporation and infrastructure.