Top 10 Water-Using Countries in the World (2024)

As humans, we drink a lot of water. Generally speaking, the more clean water that is available, the more we drink.A few key factors contribute to the increase in fresh water consumption—including population growth, urbanization, and quality of life.

As those things increase, so does the amount of water we consume. But it isn’t just human consumption that contributes to the increasing use of water. Countries also use fresh water for industry, irrigation, livestock, and other purposes.

All of that factors into the annual water footprint statistics reported in this post fromWQP (Water Quality Products) and attributed to Waterless Co. Inc. According to that post, here are the 10 countries that use the most water and how much they use annually.

10 Countries That Use the Most Water

  1. China– 362 trillion gallons
  2. United States – 216 trillion gallons
  3. Brazil – 95 trillion gallons
  4. Russia – 71 trillion gallons
  5. Mexico – 53 trillion gallons
  6. India – 30 trillion gallons
  7. England – 20 trillion gallons
  8. France – 20 trillion gallons
  9. Canada – 19 trillion gallons
  10. Australia – 12 trillion gallons

A Few Notable Worldwide Water UseStats

  • 878 trillion gallons of water are used by the 10 countries listed above annually
  • 673 trillion gallons of water are used by just the top three countries on the list (China, U.S., & Brazil)
  • With a population of 1.1 billion people, India uses the least amount of water per person of all the countries on the list
  • With a population of 300 million people, the United States uses the most water per person of all the countries on the list

Top 10 Water-Using Countries in the World (2)

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Top 10 Water-Using Countries in the World (2024)

FAQs

Top 10 Water-Using Countries in the World? ›

China. According to statistics, the population of China spends 1370 trillion liters of water a year.

Which country uses the most water in the world? ›

China. According to statistics, the population of China spends 1370 trillion liters of water a year.

Which is the top 10 richest country in water resources? ›

The top Countries with Freshwater Resources are listed on the basis of the stats from the United Nations Environment Programme are given below:
  • Brazil.
  • Russia.
  • United States of America.
  • Canada.
  • China.
  • Colombia.
  • 10 Most Dangerous Waters in the World.
  • European Union.
Sep 5, 2022

What is the #1 water usage globally? ›

Globally, 70 percent of freshwater withdrawals are used for agriculture.

Which country is no 1 in water resources? ›

Brazil has highest freshwater resources in the world which is accounts for approximately 12% of the world's freshwater resources. It is just because Amazon region this country contains 70% of the total freshwater.

What country wastes the most water? ›

Countries With the Highest Water Waste Around the World
  • India: 761 billion m³
  • China: 581.29 billion m³
  • United States: 444.29 billion m³
  • Indonesia: 222.64 billion m³
  • Pakistan: 183.45 billion m³
  • Iran: 93.3 billion m³
  • Mexico: 89.55 billion m³
  • Philippines: 85.87 billion m³
Mar 9, 2018

Does the US have the highest water usage of any country? ›

All told, Americans withdraw more than 1,000 gallons of water per person every day—putting our nation's per capita water withdrawals among the highest in the world. Not all of this water is consumed or used up, however.

Which country has the best quality water? ›

Finland

What are the top 5 freshwater consuming countries? ›

10 Countries That Use the Most Water
  • Brazil – 95 trillion gallons.
  • Russia – 71 trillion gallons.
  • Mexico – 53 trillion gallons.
  • India – 30 trillion gallons.
  • England – 20 trillion gallons.
  • France – 20 trillion gallons.
  • Canada – 19 trillion gallons.
  • Australia – 12 trillion gallons.

What country has the poorest water? ›

10 worst countries for access to clean water
  • Niger: 54% lack access to clean water. ...
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo: 54% lack basic water services. ...
  • Ethiopia: 50% lack basic water services. ...
  • Somalia: 44% lack basic water services. ...
  • Angola: 43% lack basic water services.
Mar 17, 2023

Which culture drinks the most water? ›

According to the water usage statistics by Our World in Data, China is the biggest consumer of water for domestic purposes like cleaning, cooking, drinking, and washing and uses over 70 billion m3 annually.

What country has the most usable water? ›

Brazil. Brazil has the highest volume of renewable fresh water resources, totaling approximately 8,233 cubic kilometers. The freshwater in Brazil accounts for approximately 12% of the world's fresh water resources. The Amazon Region in Brazil contains over 70% of the total fresh water in Brazil.

Which country has the largest water footprint? ›

Water footprint of countries

In absolute terms, the countries with the highest water footprints are (in billion tons per year): India: 987.38. China: 883.39. US: 696.01.

What is the purest water in the world? ›

While there are a few places that boast extremely clean water, such as Canada, Iceland, Antarctica, or even Upstate New York, the team of scientists determined that the cleanest water in the world was in the Patagonia region of Chile, Puerto Williams.

Which country exports the most water? ›

They include Mineral and aerated waters not sweetened or flavoured and Ice, snow and potable water not sweetened or flavoure. Exports In 2022 the top exporters of Water were France ($921M), China ($718M), Italy ($705M), Fiji ($405M), and United States ($164M).

Which country has the most underground water? ›

Most modern groundwater can be found in tropical and mountainous regions, according to the map. Some of the largest deposits are in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia and along the Rockies in the US.

Which country is most in need of water? ›

Water Stress by Country 2024
  • Qatar. Compared to all the countries in the world, Qatar is by far one of the most water-stressed countries. ...
  • Israel. Another water-stressed country is Israel, which has the second-worst water stress in the world. ...
  • Lebanon. ...
  • Iran. ...
  • Jordan. ...
  • Libya. ...
  • Kuwait.

Which countries use the most bottled water? ›

Today bottled water is consumed all around the world but the rate of consumption varies greatly from country to country. No one will be surprised to learn that the four countries that consume the most are the USA, China, Indonesia and Canada.

Which country has the highest water rate? ›

Of the selected cities shown, many of the highest tap water prices in 2021 are in European cities, with the most expensive in Moscow, Russia at 684.4 U.S. dollars per 100 cubic meters. This was followed by Vancouver, Canada where 100 cubic meters of water costed 623.2 U.S. dollars.

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