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The global supply of freshwater is unevenly distributed, with some countries having abundant resources and others being severely water-scarce. The demand for water is growing due to factors such as population growth, economic development, and climate change.
More than 68 percent of the fresh water on Earth is found in icecaps and glaciers, and just over 30 percent is found in ground water. Only about 0.3 percent of our fresh water is found in the surface water of lakes, rivers, and swamps.
70% of the earth is covered in water, yet only 3% of it is fresh. Of that 3%, 2.6 of it is locked away in glaciers and polar ice caps. That leaves us with 0.4% of the earth’s water, in the form of rivers and underground aquifers, to try to utilize for our consumption and societal development.
Worldwide, agriculture accounts for roughly 70% of freshwater withdrawals, followed by industry (just under 20%) and domestic (or municipal) uses (about 12%). Groundwater supplies about 25% of all water used for irrigation and half of the freshwater withdrawn for domestic purposes.
The total volume of water on Earth is estimated at 1.386 billion km 3 (333 million cubic miles), with 97.5% being salt water and 2.5% being freshwater. Of the freshwater, only 0.3% is in liquid form on the surface. [2][3][4]
For a detailed explanation of where Earth's water is, look at the data table below. Notice how of the world's total water supply of about 332.5 million mi 3 of water, over 96 percent is saline. Of total freshwater, over 68 percent is locked up in ice and glaciers. Another 30 percent of freshwater is in the ground.
As of 2020 (the most recent year for which data is available as of 2024), Iceland has the most renewable freshwater per capita and Brazil has the greatest volume of fresh water overall. Fresh water amounts are measured in cubic kilometers (km³) of water.
0.5% of the earth's water is available fresh water. If the world's water supply were only 100 liters (26 gallons), our usable water supply of fresh water would be only about 0.003 liter (one-half teaspoon).
Although water covers about 70 percent of Earth's surface, only a small percentage of that water is freshwater, and even less of that is easily accessible to the billions of organisms that depend on freshwater for survival.
Only 2.5% of the world's water is fresh—the water on which the world's terrestrial life depends. Around 70% of this fresh water is frozen in ice or permafrost. How much is being used for what, and who has access to it?