The Great Guzzlers: Who鈥檚 Using All Our Water?

Thirst: Solutions We Love

The Great Guzzlers: Who鈥檚 Using All Our Water?
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The Great Guzzlers: Who鈥檚 Using All Our Water?

Among the forecast effects of climate change, one in particular poses special concern: We鈥檙e running out of water.

Why you can trust us

By Chris Winters

2 MIN READ

May 18, 2023

According to UNICEF, at least one month per year. More than 2 billion live in countries where water supply is inadequate, and half the world鈥檚 population could be living in areas facing water scarcity as early as 2025, with global ramifications for public health and migration, not to mention peace.

Our unequal world is divided not just by wealth or quality of life, but also by access to basic necessities like water.

A Thirsty World

Geography and climate play a huge role in water availability. Still, just six countries consume 49% of all water usage globally.

An illustrated pie chart conveys global water usage by country (source: Water Footprint Network). Those usages are: China: 16%, India: 13%, U.S.: 10%, Brazil: 4%, Russia: 3%, Indonesia: 3%, and the rest of the world: 51%.

Two bar charts convey water consumption measured per capita (in liters per day) in the 25 most populous countries, according to the Water Footprint Network.
U.S.: 7,800 liters per day
Italy: 6,300
Brazil: 5,600
Mexico: 5,400
Russia: 5,100
Iran: 5,100
France: 4,900
Turkey: 4,500
Germany: 3,900
Thailand: 3,900
Japan: 3,800
Philippines: 3,800
Egypt: 3,700
Pakistan: 3,600
U.K.: 3,400
Nigeria: 3,400
South Africa: 3,400
Ethiopia: 3,200
Indonesia: 3,100
India: 3,000
China: 2,900
Vietnam: 2,900
Tanzania: 2,800
Bangladesh: 2,100
Dem. Rep. Congo: 1,500 — *Source:*

The Global Water Footprint

Around the world, agriculture consumes 70% of all freshwater. Products can be ranked by their 鈥渨ater footprint,鈥� which measures the number of liters of water used to produce one kilogram. The thirstiest products include cocoa and its derivatives, coffee, leather, and beef.

A bar graph conveys the biggest water footprint (in liters per kilogram) of the following agricultural products:
Cocoa beans: 20,000 L/kg
Cocoa butter: 34,000
Chocolate: 17,000
Cocoa powder: 15,600
Coffee beans (roasted): 18,900 (130 L per cup)
Cattle (leather): 17,000*
Cattle (beef): 15,400*
Biodiesel (from soybeans): 11,400
Sheep meat: 10,400
Cotton fabric: 10,000
Tea (black): 8,860
Pork: 5,990
Goat meat: 5,520
Cheese: 5,060
Milk powder: 4,750
Chicken meat: 4,330
Eggs: 3,300

*99% of the water used in raising cattle comes from growing animal feed. From 1996 to 2005, cattle-raising consumed about 800 billion cubic meters per year, one-third of the total water footprint of all animal production.
Sources: The World Bank, Water Footprint Network

A bar graph conveys the smallest water footprint (in liters per kilogram) of the following agricultural products:
Oranges: 533
Tomato ketchup: 530
Cucumbers, pumpkins: 350
Potatoes: 290
Cabbage: 280
Lettuce: 240
Sugarcane: 210
Tomatoes: 200
Sugar beets: 132
Sources: The World Bank, Water Footprint Network — *Sources: ,*

A pie chart with the header "Where is the water going?" reads:
The U.S. used 322 billion gallons a day (bgd) in 2015, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Most of that goes to producing electricity and growing food.

Thermoelectric power: 133 bgd = 41%
Irrigation: 118 bgd = 37%
Public supply (utilities): 39 bgd = 12%
Self-supplied industrial use: 14.8 bgd = 5%
Aquaculture: 8 bgd = 3%
Mining: 4 bgd = 1%
Self-supplied domestic (usually wells): 3.25 bgd = 1%
Sources: USGS, The World Bank, Water Footprint Network — *Source:*

A stacked vertical list titled "Domestic Water Hogs" conveys which five U.S. states account for nearly half of the country鈥檚 industrial water use.
Indiana (16%) 鈥� Indiana is a major processor of steel and aluminum for the U.S. auto industry, in addition to producing pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
Louisiana (14%) 鈥� Louisiana and Texas are major producers of chemicals and petroleum products.
Texas (6%)
Tennessee (56%) 鈥� Tennessee鈥檚 withdrawals are used primarily for the chemical industry, paper, and aeronautical products.
Pennsylvania (4%) 鈥� Pennsylvania鈥檚 steel and other metal industries are the state鈥檚 largest user of ground and surface water.
Source: USGS — *Source: (Table 10)*

Chris Winters is a senior editor at 大象传媒, where he specializes in covering democracy and the economy. Chris has been a journalist for more than 20 years, writing for newspapers and magazines in the Seattle area. He鈥檚 covered everything from city council meetings to natural disasters, local to national news, and won numerous awards for his work. He is based in Seattle, and speaks English and Hungarian.

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Thirst: Solutions We Love

The Great Guzzlers: Who鈥檚 Using All Our Water?

Thirst: Solutions We Love

The Great Guzzlers: Who鈥檚 Using All Our Water?

Among the forecast effects of climate change, one in particular poses special concern: We鈥檙e running out of water.

A Thirsty World

The Global Water Footprint

Summer 2023

Thirst

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