It provides an update on renewable water availability, which refers to the amount of fresh water that is replenished each year in rivers and aquifers through precipitation.
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 AQUASTAT 2025 water data overview.
Regions like North Africa, South Asia and West Asia have the lowest freshwater resources per capita, with Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Yemen ranking among the top countries with the lowest total renewable water.
Increase in fresh water withdrawals
Several regions have also seen increased freshwater withdrawals in recent years, adding to pressure on already stressed river basins and aquifers.
“North Africa saw the largest increasewith freshwater withdrawals up 16 percent,” the report said.
Most of the world’s withdrawals, almost 70 percent, came from surface water sources, while 23 percent came from groundwater.
Water for agriculture
Agriculture remains the largest water-consuming sector, accounting for about 72 percent of freshwater withdrawals worldwide. The industrial and service sectors followed with 15 percent and 13 percent respectively.
Sixty-six countries devoted more than 75 percent of their total freshwater withdrawal to agriculture.
For Afghanistan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mali, Nepal, Somalia and Sudan the figure was 95 percent.
Change in availability and demand
The report also shows how water availability and demand change from region to region.
This includes North Africa, where per capita availability of fresh water remains among the lowest in the world, while withdrawals have increased by 16 percent over the past 10 years.
In West Asia – which the report says includes most of the Middle East – rapid population growth and agricultural demand are helping to increase pressure on limited supplies.
Irrigation and efficiency
The report also highlights large disparities in irrigation and water use efficiency on croplands.
“In parts of Latin America and Asia, irrigation supports a large part of agricultural production, while in sub-Saharan Africa, irrigated cropland represents only a small fraction of total cropland, reflecting persistent gaps in access to water infrastructure. » FAO said.
At the national level, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Suriname and Uzbekistan reported the highest irrigation coverage. More than 90 percent of cultivated land in these countries is equipped with irrigation infrastructure.
In contrast, some 35 countries – mainly in sub-Saharan Africa – had less than 1 percent of cultivated land irrigated.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
