Water Facts
At least 2 billion people around the world use a drinking water source contaminated with feces.
Contaminated drinking water is estimated to cause over a half-million diarrheal deaths each year.
In low and middle-income countries, 38% of health care facilities lack an improved water source and are unable to provide even soap and water for handwashing.
By the year 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas.
The World Economic Forum in 2015 named the water crisis as the #1 global risk, based on the overall impact on society (as a measure of devastation).
In Africa and Asia, women and children walk an average of 3.7 miles (about 6km) each day just to collect water. They often spend up to 6 hours each day collecting this water.
Diarrhea is the 3rd leading cause of child death, the majority of which are water-related.
160 million children suffer from stunting and chronic malnutrition linked to dirty water and lack of sanitation.
References
World Health Organization and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (2017)
World Economic Forum Global Risks Report (2015)
UN-Water Factsheet on Water and Gender, World Water Day(2013)
World Water Assessment Programme, UNESCO – Water for Women: Every Woman Counts. Every Second Counts(2015)
UN, OHCHR, UN-HABITAT, WHO – The Right to Water, Fact Sheet No. 35(2010)
Koolwal, Gayatri and Dominique van de Walle – Access to Water, Women’s Work and Child Outcomes(2010)