Four billion people face water scarcity

Fresh water is renewable but unevenly distributed, and demand keeps rising. UN-Water estimates that around 4 billion people face severe water scarcity for at least a month each year, while about 720 million live in countries under high or critical water stress.

Agriculture dominates demand

By far the largest user is farming. Irrigation accounts for roughly 72% of global freshwater withdrawals, with industry around 16% and household (municipal) use about 12%. That makes food production both the biggest driver of water stress and the biggest opportunity to relieve it, through efficient irrigation and less wasteful crops.

Pressure from several directions

Water stress is intensifying because of:

• Population and economic growth raising demand.
• Climate change shifting rainfall, shrinking snowpack and glaciers, and intensifying droughts.
• Pollution removing otherwise usable supplies.

An indicator of resilience

Because water connects food, energy, health and ecosystems, it is a revealing gauge of environmental resilience. Freshwater wildlife has declined faster than any other group — about 85% since 1970 — a warning that rivers, lakes and wetlands are among the most stressed systems on Earth. Monitoring withdrawals, groundwater and river flows from space and on the ground is central to managing the squeeze.