Fresh water is becoming one of the world’s most critical resources as rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources shrink. A closer look at global data shows that one country holds a far larger share of the planet’s usable fresh water than any other.
Water has shaped civilisation in the past, continues to do so today, and will have an even greater impact in the future. Freshwater sources are shrinking each day, and availability is declining, largely due to human activity. In the pursuit of extraction and development, people have depleted the soil and polluted water bodies, from lakes and rivers to oceans. Yet, despite the vast presence of water on Earth, very little of it is actually usable.
Only a small share of the planet’s water is fresh, found in rivers, lakes, glaciers, and underground aquifers. When global agencies measure renewable freshwater resources, one country consistently stands apart: Brazil.
Data compiled by institutions such as the United Nations and the World Bank show that Brazil possesses a huge amount of freshwater sources that includes lakes, rivers and underground water.
Brazil draws much of its freshwater strength from the Amazon basin, the largest river system on Earth by volume.
Other countries like Russia and Canada are also on the list.
WHAT ABOUT OTHER COUNTRIES?
Several other countries also hold significant freshwater resources, though at a much smaller scale.
Russia benefits from sprawling river networks and Lake Baikal, the deepest freshwater lake in the world.
Canada’s water wealth is rooted in geography. The country is dotted with more than two million lakes, many of them formed by retreating glaciers thousands of years ago.
The Great Lakes, shared with the United States, alone account for about 20 per cent of the world’s surface fresh water. Long river systems, vast wetlands, and extensive groundwater reserves add to this natural advantage.
The United States and China also rank high due to their size and diverse river systems.
Even in Canada and Russia, concerns remain over ecosystem protection, industrial use, and the rights of Indigenous communities to clean and accessible water.
India has freshwater sources in the form of glaciers and thousands of lakes spread across the Himalayan region. The north-east of the country also has a rich and diverse range of freshwater resources.
The contrast becomes sharper in countries with large populations. India, for instance, has major rivers such as the Ganga and Brahmaputra, yet ranks low in per-capita freshwater availability because demand far exceeds supply.
Measured purely by natural endowment, Canada holds the largest share of fresh water on the planet.
