2021 global estimate · modelled second-by-second
World Freshwater Withdrawals
Estimated freshwater withdrawn since the start of today and this year, with a sector breakdown.
Calculated since the start of the year
3,139,726,027,397 m³
Withdrawal by sector
Agriculture72%
91,324 m³/sIndustry15%
19,025 m³/sMunicipal and domestic use13%
16,489 m³/sMunicipal and domestic withdrawal includes households and services. It is not the same as drinking-water consumption or safely managed drinking-water supply.
What this counter means
Fresh water supports food production, homes, energy and manufacturing. The moving number makes the scale visible by distributing the latest global annual estimate evenly across every second of the current calendar year.
Method and limitations
The source reports water withdrawals, meaning water taken from rivers, lakes, reservoirs and aquifers. Withdrawal is not identical to consumption: some water returns to the environment after use. Actual withdrawals vary by season and place; this animation is an educational interpolation, not a real-time meter.
Primary sources: UNESCO/UN-Water, United Nations World Water Development Report 2025 — https://www.unesco.org/reports/wwdr/en/2025/download
FAO AQUASTAT — https://www.fao.org/aquastat/en/
Data status
Last reviewed: 14 October 2026
The base is the latest global estimate cited by the UN World Water Development Report 2025: just under 4,000 km³ in 2021. For clarity the counter uses approximately 4,000 km³ and sector shares of 72%, 15% and 13%.
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