50 Facts and Stats About The World Water Crisis

By John Hawthorne

1. 1,800 child deaths every day are linked to water, sanitation and hygiene
2. 2,000 children aged 5 and under die every day from a water-related disease.
3. 783 million people do not have access to clean and safe water worldwide
4. 1 in 9 people worldwide do not have access to safe and clean drinking water.
5. 443 million school days are lost each year due to water-related diseases.
6. Children in poor environments often carry 1,000 parasitic worms in their bodies at any time.
7. Lack of clean water kills children at a rate equivalent to a jet crashing every 4 hours
8. In developing countries, as much as 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions.
9. Every 90 seconds a child dies from a water-related disease.
10. 1 in 3 people, or 2.4 billion, are without improved sanitation facilities.
11. There are 119 million in China and 97 million in India without clean drinking water
12. 58% of total diarrheal deaths that could be averted through safe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene
13. 842,000 diarrheal diseases deaths per year result from unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene
14. More than one-third of Africa’s population lacks access to safe drinking water
15. 25-33% of Chinese do not have access to safe drinking water
16. Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest number of water-stressed countries of any region
17. While it takes about 12 gallons per day to sustain a human the average American uses about 158 gallons
18. By 2050, 1 in 5 developing countries will face water shortages
19. Half of the global population lives in countries where water tables are rapidly falling
20. 85% of the world population lives in the driest half of the planet.
21. In the past 10 years, diarrhea has killed more children than armed conflict since WWII.
22. A five-minute shower uses more water than a person in a developing country uses in a day.
23. Most of the world’s population spends up to 3 hours a day to get the water they need to survive.
24. 27 percent of people living in cities do not have water piped into their homes
25. If we did nothing other than provide access to clean water, we could save 2 million lives a year.
26. In villages where access to clean water is provided, the infant mortality rate can drop by 50%.
27. In just one day, more than 200 million hours of women’s time is consumed collecting water for domestic use.
28. In some places, women have to walk nearly 10 kilometers to reach a water source.
29. Clean drinking water would create 320 million productive days due to improved health.
30. When walking to retrieve water, women are at greater risk of sexual assault and harassment.
31. In Africa, every $1 spent on water and sanitation generates a return of $9 in saved time
32. Women are responsible for 72% of the water collected in Sub-Saharan Africa.
33. 10% of the global disease could be reduced through improved water supply, sanitation, and hygiene.
34. Without clean water and sanitation, it is impossible to address poverty, hunger or AIDS.
35. Women and girls often spend up to 6 hours each day collecting water
36. $260 billion is lost globally each year due to lack of safe water and sanitation.
37. Access to safe water and sanitation would result in $32 billion in economic benefits each year
38. Time spent gathering water around the world translates to $24 billion in lost economic benefits each year.
39. In low and middle-income countries, 1/3 of all healthcare facilities lack a safe water source
40. More than 1/2 of all primary schools in developing countries don’t have adequate water facilities
41. Globally, at least 1.8 billion people use a drinking-water source contaminated with feces.
42. By 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas.
43. In the U.S., we spend $61 billion every year on clean bottled water.
44. People living in slums often pay 5-10 times more per liter of water than wealthy people.
45. A five-minute shower uses more water than a person in a developing country uses in a day.
46. Without food a person can live for weeks, but without water one can expect to live only a few days.
47. India has just 4% of the world’s fresh water — but 16% of the global population.
48. Half of India’s water supply in rural areas is routinely contaminated with toxic bacteria.
49. Lack of clean water is hurting India’s manufacturing sector, resulting in employment declines.
50. You can help make a difference and fight the world water crisis today. 

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Sources:

• UNICEF – Children dying daily because of unsafe water supplies and poor sanitation and hygiene 
• The Water Project – Water Scarcity 
• Sea Metrics – Global water crisis facts 
• Compassion UK – World Water Day 
• Water One Worlds Solutions – Global Water Crisis Facts 
• http://www.wateroneworldsolutions.org/Charity Water – Why Water 
• Blue Planet Network – What makes clean water so important? 
• Water – Facts About the Economic Importance of Safe Water 
• Do Something – 11 Facts About Water in the Developing World 
• Save the Water – Water Facts 
• Watering Malawi – Global Water Poverty Facts 
• The Globalist – India’s Water Crisis