Statistics

The numbers beneath the surface

Data tells the story of our waters — what we have, what we're losing, and where we can still turn the tide.

At a glance

The state of our waters

0
people lack safely managed drinking water

WHO/UNICEF JMP, 2023

0
of plastic enter the ocean each year

Pew & SYSTEMIQ, 2020

0
of excess heat from global warming absorbed by the ocean

IPCC AR6

0
of Earth's oxygen produced by ocean life (est.)

NOAA

0
of assessed fish stocks are overfished

FAO SOFIA, 2022

0
of the world's coral lost between 2009 and 2018

GCRMN, 2020

Earth's water

How much water can we actually use?

Toggle the view to zoom into freshwater.

Distribution of Earth's water

    Source: USGS, after Gleick (1996). Rounded.

    Freshwater use

    Where does our freshwater go?

    Share of global freshwater withdrawals by sector. Hover a bar for detail.

    Source: FAO AQUASTAT. Rounded.

    Plastic tide

    Global plastic production, 1950 → 2019

    Million tonnes per year. Move along the line to explore — production has grown more than 200-fold.

    Global plastic production rising from 2 million tonnes in 1950 to about 460 million tonnes in 2019

    Sources: Geyer, Jambeck & Law (2017); OECD Global Plastics Outlook (2022). Approximate.

    Your water footprint

    How much water do you use?

    Direct use is just the tip of the iceberg — the food we eat hides far more “virtual water”. Adjust the sliders for a rough daily estimate.

    0 L / day
    Direct use: 0 LFood (virtual): 0 L

    Estimates only: shower ≈ 9 L/min, flush ≈ 6 L, laundry ≈ 60 L/load; diet values after the Water Footprint Network.