4.3 billion people face moderate to severe water scarcity at least one month of the year.

World water crisis, an overview:

In many regions, wells are running dry
Often, the water table has been polluted so water is no longer potable
5 billion people face water scarcity problems at least one month per year
Less than 3% of the world’s water is fresh
North Africa, the Middle East, India, Mexico, large portions of South America, and many islands face the greatest water challenges
As world population continues to grow, millions more under water stress

Water scarcity multiplies risk, raising the chances of civil conflict following periods of drought, amongst other problems. The 2016 World Economic Forum’s Report warns that “failure to address climate change and water crises” could also trigger large-scale migrations.¹

Lower income countries are most vulnerable as they lack good governance and do not have the resources to invest in water infrastructure.

With nearly 78% of the world’s poor living in rural areas, they are the first and hardest hit by water scarcity, suffering significant income losses. These losses prevent rural families from investing in their children. For example, “Children in Vietnam who experienced these shocks were shown to have delayed school entry, slowed progress in school, and lower height than their peers that did not experience this shock.”²

Children in rural India and Mexico were similarly harmed due to water scarcity.² Increased water scarcity also spreads disease because of exposure to contaminated water and less water for hygiene.³ There are longer term effects as well, including causing nutritional deficits in young children which can permanently affect their learning capabilities.

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