Hydrosphere Contents

3. Water As A Resource

Water supply is the provision of water for drinking, domestic use and irrigation

Availability of water for drinking, domestic use and irrigation is determined both by the global distribution of water and by human population distributions contained within political boundaries. Citizens of Kuwait have around 7 m³, of renewable water per year whereas in Iceland each citizen has 524,691 m³. As an increasing population places pressure on water resources, increasing stress is placed upon this complex and uneven global pattern of supply.

Water Rich Countries

  Water resources: total renewable (actual) Water resources: total renewable per capita (actual)
Country (km3/year) (m3/capita/year) in 2008-2012
Iceland 170.00 524,691
Guyana 241 318,783
Suriname 122 230,624
Congo 832.00 200,966
Papua New Guinea 801 114,200
Gabon 164 106,910
Bhutan 78 105,691
 Canada 2,902.00 84,483
Solomon Islands 44.7 80,978
Norway 382.00 77,563
 New Zealand 327.00 74,066
Peru 1,913 65,068
Bolivia 622.50 61,707
Belize 18.55 58,333
Liberia 232.00 56,188
Chile 922 53,387
Lao People's Democratic Republic 333.5 53,038
Colombia 2,132 45,432
Venezuela 1,233 41,886
Brazil 8,233.00 41,865

Water Poor Countries

  Water resources: total renewable (actual) Water resources: total renewable per capita (actual)
Country (km3/year) (m3/capita/year) in 2000
Kuwait 0.02 7.097
United Arab Emirates 0.15 19.01
Qatar 0.058 31.02
Bahamas 0.02 57.64
Yemen 2.1 84.68
Saudi Arabia 2.4 85.46
Bahrain 0.116 87.61
Maldives 0.03 93.75
Libya 0.7 109
Singapore 0.6 115.7
Malta 0.0505 120.8
Jordan 0.9371 148
Occupied Palestinian Territory 0.8391 201.6
Israel 1.78 235.4
Barbados 0.08 292
Algeria 11.67 324.3
Djibouti 0.3 331.1
Tunisia 4.595 433.7
St Kitts and Nevis 0.024 452.8
Oman 1.4 491.9
Antigua and Barbuda 0.052 577.8

Which countries are water rich? Which are water poor?