The availability of renewable water per person has decreased by seven percent over the past decade – from 5,326 to 5,719 cubic meters (m3), according to the 2025 AQUASTAT snapshot of water data.
Regions such as North Africa, South Asia and West Asia have the lowest freshwater resources per capita Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Yemen is among the top countries with the lowest total renewable water.
Increase in freshwater extraction
Several regions have also seen an increase in freshwater withdrawals in recent years, adding to the pressure on already stressed watersheds and aquifers.
“North Africa saw the largest increasewith freshwater withdrawals increasing by 16 percent,” the report said.
Most withdrawals worldwide, almost 70 percent, came from surface water sources, while 23 percent came from groundwater.
Water for agriculture
Agriculture remains the largest water-using sector, responsible for approximately 72 percent of freshwater withdrawals worldwide. The industrial and service sectors followed with 15 percent and 13 percent respectively.
Sixty-six countries spent more than 75 percent of their total freshwater withdrawals on agriculture.
For Afghanistan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mali, Nepal, Somalia and Sudan the figure was 95 percent.
Shift in availability and demand
The report also shows how water availability and demand are shifting between regions.
This includes North Africa, where per capita freshwater availability remains among the lowest in the world, while abstraction has increased by 16 percent over the past decade.
In West Asia – which includes most Middle Eastern countries, according to the report – rapid demographic growth and demand for agricultural products are contributing to increased pressure on limited supply.
Irrigation and efficiency
The report also highlights the wide variations in irrigation and water use efficiency on agricultural land.
“In parts of Latin America and Asia, irrigation supports a large portion of crop production, while in sub-Saharan Africa, irrigated cropland represents only a small portion of total agricultural land, reflecting persistent gaps in access to water infrastructure.” FAO said.
At a national level Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Suriname and Uzbekistan reported the highest irrigation coverage. More than 90 percent of the agricultural land in these countries is equipped with irrigation infrastructure.
In contrast, some 35 countries – mainly in sub-Saharan Africa – had less than one percent of agricultural land under irrigation.
#sounding #alarm #rising #demand #water #supplies #scarcity #increases