This is measured based on freshwater withdrawals as a share of internal (renewable) resources. It can include water from primary renewable and secondary freshwater resources, as well as water from over-abstraction of renewable groundwater or withdrawal from fossil groundwater, direct use of agricultural drainage water, direct use of (treated) wastewater, and desalinated water. (2013). As we see, per capita renewable resources are declining in many countries as a result of population increases. Globally, the United States is the largest user of industrial water, withdrawing over 300 billion m³ per year. Globally, 70 percent of water withdrawals are used for agriculture. The United States, despite having a much lower population, is the second largest user as a result of higher per capita water demands. Data on renewable resources should be treated with caution; since this data is gathered intermittently, it fails to capture seasonal and annual variance in water resources which can be significant in some nations. If renewable resources decline — as can happen frequently in countries with large annual variability in rainfall, such as monsoon seasons — then per capita renewable withdrawals will also fall. The World’s Water: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. As we see, irrigation is particularly prevalent across South & East Asia and the Middle East;  Pakistan, Bangladesh and South Korea all irrigate more than half of their agricultural area. The average agricultural water use for low-income countries is 90 percent; 79 percent for middle income and only 41 percent at high incomes. This is typically the most ‘visible’ form of water: the water we use for drinking, cleaning, washing, and cooking. If water withdrawals exceed available resources (i.e. ‘Renewable internal freshwater flows’ refer to to internal renewable resources (internal river flows and groundwater from rainfall) in the country. The visualization shows the total annual water withdrawals which are used for industrial purposes. Here we see large variations geographically and by income level. The chart shows the average per capita renewable freshwater resources, measured in cubic metres per person per year. However, water requirements vary significantly depending on food type. The visualization shows the average level of water withdrawal per capita per year. The goal is to find the most appropriate blend of green and grey investments to maximize benefits and system efficiency while minimizing costs and trade‐offs. Global freshwater use since 1900 is disaggregated by broad regional groupings — OECD nations; BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa); and Rest of the World (ROW) in the chart. This sector refers to self-supplied industries not connected to the public distribution network. The International Statistics for Water Services platform focuses on water consumption of households and small businesses. This is even more applicable for particular regions with lower water resources and/or larger population pressures. (2014). It can include water from primary renewable and secondary freshwater resources, as well as water from over-abstraction of renewable groundwater or withdrawal from fossil groundwater, direct use of agricultural drainage water, direct use of (treated) wastewater, and desalinated water. What they have in common is that they draw on the experience and expertise of UN-Water’s Members and Partners. Read more / Download the report in Arabic | English | French | Spanish | Italian. Other global changes (e.g., urbanisation, de‐forestation, intensification of agriculture) add to these challenges. Based on its 2019 data for G20 countries, Enerdata analyses the trends in the world energy markets. of water services globally. WORLD WATER DEVELOPMENT REPORT. Similarly, if total renewable sources remain constant, per capita levels can fall if a country’s population is growing. Water stress is defined based on the ratio of freshwater withdrawals to renewable freshwater resources. In 2010 India was the world’s largest agricultural water consumer at nearly 700 billion m 3 per year. The visualization provides an overview of industrial water withdrawals measured as the share of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of agricultural, industrial and domestic uses). However, this share varies significantly by country – as shown in the chart, which measures the percentage of total freshwater withdrawals used for agriculture. What share of freshwater resources do we use? The chart shows the level of renewable internal freshwater resources per capita. It does not include in-stream uses, which are characterized by a very low net consumption rate, such as recreation, navigation, hydropower, inland capture fisheries, etc.”. ‘grey’) infrastructure and the enormous potential for NBS remains under‐utilized. This entry can be cited as: Our World in Data is free and accessible for everyone. Levels of water use vary significantly across the world. Sources and methods: The data on … In 2010 India was the world’s largest agricultural water consumer at nearly 700 billion m3 per year. The charts show the global average water footprint/requirement for the production of one tonne of product (in cubic metres); per kilocalorie (per litre); and per gram of protein (per litre). Domestic uses of water withdrawals can also dominate in some countries across Europe with high rainfall, such as the United Kingdom and Ireland where agricultural production is often largely rainfed and industrial output is low. US sanctions contributed to reduce Venezuela’s and Iran’s consumption. Washington, DC: Island Press). “Aqueduct country and river basin rankings: a weighted aggregation of spatially distinct hydrological indicators.” Working paper. When citing this entry, please also cite the underlying data sources. Available online. Slowdown in energy consumption growth in 2019 (+0.6%), much below its historical trend. Municipal uses as a share of total water withdrawals across the world is shown in the chart. Gleick,P.H et al. A growing global population and economic shift towards more resource-intensive consumption patterns means global freshwater use — that is, freshwater withdrawals for agriculture, industry and municipal uses — has increased nearly six-fold since 1900. The visualization provides a measure of levels of water stress across the world. Most countries across South Asia are experiencing high water stress; medium-to-high across East Asia, the United States and much of Southern and Eastern Europe. At the same time, the global water cycle is intensifying due to climate change, with wetter regions generally becoming wetter and drier regions becoming even drier. -2.2 MtCO2eq, with a 2.3% drop for households and a 3.2% decline for services), in the energy sector (-0.7%, including -1.5% for power generation), and in waste processing (-2.2%). This value also includes the quantity of wastewater or water which is polluted as a result of agricultural production. Overall, we see a negative correlation: agriculture’s share of total water withdrawals tend to decrease at higher incomes. Poorer countries used more water for agriculture, http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/main/index.stm. It is usually computed as the total water withdrawn by the public distribution network. Washington, DC: World Bank. This article previously covered aspects of clean water and sanitation access; you now find this material in our entries on, Share of freshwater withdrawals used in agriculture, Share of freshwater withdrawals used in industry, Freshwater use for households and public services, Share of freshwater withdrawals used in households. Municipal water withdrawals are shown in the chart. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute, November 2013. Water is used for a range of industrial applications, including dilution, steam generation, washing, and cooling of manufacturing equipment. Gassert, F., P. Reig, T. Luo, and A.Maddocks. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, this tends to contribute less than 2 percent to total withdrawals. It can include that part of the industries and urban agriculture, which is connected to the municipal network. The share in Central and Eastern Europe tends to be around 70 percent; 80 percent in Canada; and approximately half in the United States. In 2014, India had the largest freshwater withdrawals at over 760 billion cubic metres per year. Gassert, F., Reig, P., Luo, T., & Maddocks, A. Renewable internal freshwater resources refers to the quantity of internal freshwater from inflowing river basins and recharging groundwater aquifers. Around 38 percent of the European Union’s water consumption is reliant on water availability in other countries, to grow soybeans, rice, cotton, and other products that it imports. In 2019, CO2 emissions dipped by 1%, from 331.5 Mt to 328.2 Mt (-3.3 Mt), while methane emissions contracted by 0.7% (-0.4 MtCO2eq). Water stress does not insinuate that a country has water shortages, but does give an indication of how close it maybe be to exceeding a water basin’s renewable resources. The World Resources Institute categorise water stress in the following ways: if withdrawals are less than 10 percent of resources then a country has low water stress; 10-20 percent is low-to-medium stress; 20-40 percent medium-to-high; 40-80 percent high stress; and greater than 80 percent is extremely high stress.3. It includes water for the cooling of thermoelectric and nuclear power plants, but it does not include hydropower. All of our charts can be embedded in any site. Available online. Publications are a major output of UN-Water. You have the permission to use, distribute, and reproduce in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited. In contrast to the global distribution for agricultural water withdrawals, industrial water tends to dominate in high-income countries (with an average of 17 percent), and is small in low-income countries on average 2 percent). Water withdrawn by industries that are connected to the public supply network is generally included in municipal water withdrawal.”, Municipal water withdrawal: “Annual quantity of water withdrawn primarily for the direct use by the population. The visualization shows the total quantity of freshwater withdrawals which are used in agriculture, whether in the form of food crop, livestock, biofuels, or other non-food crop production. We license all charts under Creative Commons BY. If rates of freshwater withdrawal begin to exceed the renewable flows, resources begin to decline. Available online. A Weighted Aggregation Of Spatially Distinct Hydrological Indicators. The report is now in its thirteenth edition, and this edition contains data from 39 countries and 198 cities worldwide. Global water withdrawal and consumption 2014-2040 Licenses for water abstraction in force across England and Wales 2014, by purpose Withdrawn surface water volume in Saudi Arabia 2010-2015 Jan Hammenecker* Leader of the Working Group Statistics ‘This Tokyo edition 2018, in particular the charges and consumption section, focuses on water consumption … This is shown in the chart. Rates are typically much lower across Sub-Saharan Africa and some parts of South Asia where most use less than 500 million m³. First published in 2015; most recent substantial revision in July 2018. It has also been a strong driver in the quantity of water used for agriculture.