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Fresh Water

The essential data about fresh water explained in 13 infographics. Detailed charts, maps and tables covering fresh water, global fresh water use 1901-2014, global use of water and sanitation services, competing water uses 2015 and more. Learn the truth about fresh water and how it relates to the state of the world on The Global Education Project website with un-biased facts from the most reliable sources.
Fresh Water
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?
Global Fresh Water Use 1901-2014 Over 2 billion people live in countries experiencing high water stress. An estimated 4 billion people, nearly two-thirds of the world population, experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year. Growing use of water resources...
Global Use of Water and Sanitation Services "90% of the developing world's waste water is still discharged untreated into local rivers and streams." "In 2015, an estimated 2.1 billion people lacked access to safely managed drinking water services and 4.5 billion lacked access to safely managed...
Competing Water Uses 2015
Total World Water
Water Required by Food Type
Percentage of Population With Reasonable Access to Safe Drinking Water
Water Lost in Irrigation
Death from Unsafe Water and Sanitation
Terrestrial and Ocean Biomes Evidence is growing that the thermohaline circulation, driven by temperature and salinity, could be slowed or stopped by cold fresh water inputs to the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans, diluting the salt concentration in the ocean. This could occur if...
Amount of Irrigated Agricultural Land in the World
Aquaculture Production by Country AQUACULTURE is the industrial farming in fresh or salt water of fish, mollusks, crustaceans and plants. Aquaculture is rapidly increasing its annual global harvest and seems to offer hope for increased food production. However, for some of the more than...
Environmental Impacts of Food


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