Water scarcity grows in urgency in many regions as population growth, climate change, pollution, lack of investment, and management failures restrict the amount of water available relative to demand. 
The Stockholm International Water Institute calculated in 2008 that 1.4 billion people live in "closed basins"-regions where existing water cannot meet the agricultural, industrial, municipal, and environmental needs of all.
Their estimate is consistent with a 2007 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) calculation that 1.2 billion people live in countries and regions that are water-scarce.
And the situation is projected to worsen rapidly: FAO estimates that the number of water-scarce will rise to 1.8 billion by 2025, particularly as population growth pushes many countries and regions into the scarcity column.
Water scarcity has many causes. Population growth is a major driver at the regional and global levels, but other factors play a large role locally. Pollution reduces the amount of usable water available to farmers, industry, and cities. The World Bank and the government of China have estimated, for instance, that 54 percent of the water in seven main rivers in China is unusable because of pollution. In addition, urbanization tends to increase domestic and industrial demand for water, as does rising incomes-two trends prominent in rapidly developing countries such as China, India, and Brazil.
Water Scarcity Figures
(tables below and read more at www.worldwatch.org):
Table 1. Water Import Dependence, Selected Countries, 1997-2001
| Country | Water Import Dependence (percent) | Country | Water Import Dependence (percent) |
| Netherlands | 82 | Egypt | 19 |
| Jordan | 73 | United States | 19 |
| United Kingdom | 70 | Australia | 18 |
| Japan | 64 | Russia | 16 |
| South Korea | 62 | Indonesia | 10 |
| Germany | 53 | Brazil | 8 |
| Italy | 51 | Thailand | 8 |
| France | 37 | China | 7 |
| Spain | 36 | Argentina | 6 |
| Mexico | 30 | Pakistan | 5 |
| South Africa | 22 | Bangladesh | 3 |
| Canada | 20 | India | 2 |
Table 2. Water Required to Produce Selected Foods
| Product | Embedded Water Content (cubic meters per ton) |
| Beef | 13,500 |
| Pork | 4,600 |
| Poultry | 4,100 |
| Soybean | 2,750 |
| Eggs | 2,700 |
| Rice | 1,400 |
| Wheat | 1,160 |
| Milk | 790 |
Source: World Water Council.
Table 3. Water Consumption by Energy Type in the United States
| Energy Type | Water Consumed (cubic meters per megawatt-hour) |
| Solar | 0.0001 |
| Wind | 0.0001 |
| Gas | 1 |
| Coal | 2 |
| Nuclear | 2.5 |
| Oil | 4 |
| Hydropower | 68 |
| Biofuel (first generation) | 178 |
Source: Morrison et al.
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