Mapped: The World’s Most Water-Stressed Countries

Mapped: The World’s Most Water-Stressed Countries

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In some parts of the world, water use has far exceeded what nature can replenish.

This map shows water stress by country, measured as freshwater withdrawals relative to renewable water resources. Countries with scores above 100% are using more water than is naturally available each year, often relying on groundwater depletion or desalination to close the gap. Data comes from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Water is essential across agriculture, manufacturing, and daily life, making these imbalances increasingly important as climate patterns shift and demand rises.

Water Stress Levels by Country

Dive into the latest data, which is from 2022, below:

Rank	Country	Water stress (%)
1	Kuwait	3,850.5
2	United Arab Emirates	1,509.9
3	Saudi Arabia	974.2
4	Libya	817.1
5	Qatar	431.0
6	Yemen	169.8
7	Algeria	144.8
8	Egypt	141.2
9	Turkmenistan	135.2
10	Bahrain	133.7
11	Israel	129.7
12	Syria	124.4
13	Uzbekistan	123.0
14	Sudan	118.7
15	Oman	116.7
16	Pakistan	110.0
17	Jordan	105.2
18	Tunisia	98.1
19	Sri Lanka	90.8
20	Barbados	87.5
21	South Korea	85.2
22	Iran	81.3
23	Eswatini	77.6
24	Malta	72.6
25	Tajikistan	69.9
26	South Africa	67.6
27	India	66.5
28	Armenia	62.0
29	Cabo Verde	59.7
30	Iraq	59.6
31	Lebanon	58.8
32	Azerbaijan	57.5
33	Afghanistan	54.8
34	Belgium	52.8
35	North Macedonia	52.6
36	Saint Kitts and Nevis	50.8
37	Morocco	50.8
38	Kyrgyzstan	50.0
39	Palestine	48.1
40	Türkiye	47.9
41	Zimbabwe	46.1
42	Mexico	44.9
43	Spain	43.3
44	China	41.5
45	Bulgaria	40.2
46	Dominican Republic	39.6
47	Japan	36.6
48	Germany	35.4
49	Kazakhstan	34.6
50	Singapore	33.3
51	Kenya	33.2
52	Poland	32.5
53	Ethiopia	32.3
54	Cyprus	30.5
55	Italy	29.8
56	Indonesia	29.7
57	Timor-Leste	28.3
58	United States	28.2
59	Philippines	27.8
60	North Korea	27.7
61	Denmark	25.3
62	Somalia	24.5
63	Cuba	23.9
64	Thailand	23.0
65	Mauritius	23.0
66	Czechia	22.0
67	France	21.4
68	Trinidad and Tobago	20.3
69	Greece	20.3
70	Rwanda	20.2
71	Puerto Rico	19.5
72	Vietnam	18.1
73	Malawi	17.5
74	The Netherlands	16.7
75	Senegal	16.3
76	Maldives	15.7
77	United Kingdom	14.4
78	Saint Lucia	14.3
79	Haiti	13.4
80	Mauritania	13.2
81	Estonia	13.0
82	Tanzania	13.0
83	Moldova	12.6
84	Jamaica	12.4
85	Portugal	12.3
86	El Salvador	12.1
87	Uruguay	12.1
88	Madagascar	11.3
89	Eritrea	11.2
90	Niger	11.0
91	Argentina	10.5
92	Burundi	10.2
93	Dominica	10.0
94	Nigeria	9.7
95	Chile	9.0
96	Austria	8.7
97	Antigua and Barbuda	8.5
98	Nepal	8.3
99	Hungary	8.1
100	Ireland	8.1
101	New Zealand	8.0
102	Mali	8.0
103	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	7.9
104	Burkina Faso	7.8
105	Romania	7.6
106	Venezuela	7.5
107	Finland	7.1
108	Grenada	7.1
109	Ecuador	6.8
110	Switzerland	6.5
111	Djibouti	6.3
112	Ghana	6.3
113	Ukraine	6.3
114	Costa Rica	5.9
115	Uganda	5.8
116	Myanmar	5.8
117	Guatemala	5.7
118	Serbia	5.7
119	Bangladesh	5.7
120	Slovenia	5.6
121	Côte d’Ivoire	5.1
122	Peru	4.8
123	Laos	4.8
124	Albania	4.8
125	Australia	4.7
126	Belarus	4.7
127	Honduras	4.6
128	Chad	4.3
129	South Sudan	4.2
130	Georgia	4.2
131	Russia	4.1
132	Luxembourg	4.0
133	Suriname	4.0
134	Canada	3.7
135	Colombia	3.6
136	Sweden	3.6
137	Brunei	3.5
138	Malaysia	3.4
139	Mongolia	3.4
140	Togo	3.4
141	Guyana	3.3
142	Zambia	2.8
143	Lesotho	2.6
144	Slovakia	2.4
145	Botswana	2.2
146	Nicaragua	2.2
147	Gambia	2.2
148	Lithuania	2.2
149	Bosnia and Herzegovina	2.1
150	Norway	2.0
151	Sao Tome and Principe	1.9
152	Angola	1.9
153	Paraguay	1.8
154	Mozambique	1.8
155	Cameroon	1.6
156	Croatia	1.5
157	Brazil	1.5
158	Guinea-Bissau	1.5
159	Bhutan	1.4
160	Guinea	1.4
161	Belize	1.3
162	Cambodia	1.0
163	Latvia	1.0
164	Benin	1.0
165	Panama	0.9
166	Comoros	0.8
167	Gabon	0.5
168	Sierra Leone	0.5
169	Iceland	0.4
170	Central African Republic	0.3
171	Namibia	0.3
172	Fiji	0.3
173	Liberia	0.3
174	DRC	0.2
175	Bolivia	0.2
176	Equatorial Guinea	0.2
177	Papua New Guinea	0.1
178	Congo	0.0

Some countries operate at 10–30x their natural water budget.

Kuwait leads by a wide margin, using the equivalent of 3,850% of its renewable water supply. The United Arab Emirates follows at 1,509.9%, highlighting a heavy reliance on desalination and non-renewable groundwater.

High water stress countries are clustered around the Middle East and North Africa, given they have naturally arid climates, meaning a slow supply of natural water. Some countries also have water intensive agriculture industries, which adds pressure.

Saudi Arabia is the third most water stressed country, at 974.2% its natural resources, while Libya and Qatar follow at 817.1% and 431%.

Even at a more modest level, countries are still overdrawn. Pakistan and Jordan hover above the 100% mark, at 110% and 105% respectively.

China uses 41.5% of its renewable water resources, while the U.S. is at 28.2%.

Elsewhere, Papua New Guinea, Bolivia and DRC have huge water reserves but are relatively underdeveloped economies, meaning water stress is negligible. The DRC, for example, is home to 62% of the Congo Basin, which is the world’s second-largest river system.

Congo is the only country in the dataset with zero water stress.

A Reliance on Artificial Water

Countries that cash in their full water budget rely on non-renewable sources to plug that gap.

One tactic is fossil groundwater mining, which is where water from deep underground is pumped up but for use but there isn’t enough rainwater to replenish aquifers. While this is practiced in the Middle East and North Africa, it’s also widespread across the U.S. and China.

Countries in arid regions like the Middle East are leaders in desalination technology, which converts saltwater into drinking water. This process is typically energy intensive and expensive but recent advances in technology have made it more viable, making it an interesting investment theme.

As climate patterns shift and demand continues to rise, water availability is becoming a more critical constraint on growth.

Countries operating beyond their natural water limits will likely need to expand desalination, manage demand more aggressively, or invest in more efficient infrastructure—turning water into a key economic and strategic issue in the years ahead.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about water, check out this graphic which visualizes all the world’s water.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-the-worlds-most-water-stressed-countries/