Daily water usage per capita in the Netherlands 1992-2016
Frequency of showering and bathing decreased
The time people spent in the shower was not the only figure that declined. In the last decade, the frequency of showering also decreased, from 0.8 showers per day to under 0.7. One might wonder whether people increased their bathing frequency instead, but the decline in number of showers was not matched by an increase in the number of baths taken. On the contrary, the bathing frequency decreased even stronger. Between 2007 and 2016, the average number of baths taken nearly halved.
Further household water usage
The fall in water use in the Netherlands was not just a result of showering and bathing fewer times and for shorter periods. Although the number of washes done per person remained more or less stable in the period discussed here, the frequency of dishwasher usage for example also decreased, from 0.25 times per day in 2004 to 0.17 times in 2016.