Global Water Wealth: Top 5 Nations Hoard 40% of Freshwater Reserves

Global renewable freshwater resources total 42.8 trillion cubic meters, but more than 40 percent of that volume is concentrated in just five countries, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization’s AQUASTAT database. Brazil leads with 5.661 trillion cubic meters, representing 13.2 percent of the world total. Roughly 75 percent of Brazil’s renewable supply comes from the Amazon basin. Russia ranks second with 4.312 trillion cubic meters (10.1 percent), followed by Canada at 2.850 trillion cubic meters. The United States and China complete the top five. Nine additional countries — Colombia, Indonesia, Peru, India, Myanmar, and three others — each hold more than one trillion cubic meters of renewable freshwater.