WORLD — Billions of people around the world still lack access to safe water, sanitation and basic hygiene services, while pressure on water resources continues to increase due to rapid population growth, urbanization and rising demand from the agriculture, industry and energy sectors, according to The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026.
The report said global water stress has remained at around 18% since 2023, with one in 10 people living in areas experiencing high or critical water stress. Several regions have recorded water stress levels exceeding 75%.
The situation is expected to worsen as rising temperatures driven by climate change increasingly disrupt the water cycle and make water availability more unpredictable in many regions.
Billions Still Lack Basic Services
In 2024, around 2.2 billion people still lacked safely managed drinking water services, while 3.4 billion lacked safely managed sanitation and 1.7 billion lacked basic hygiene services at home.
Despite these challenges, the past decade has seen significant progress. Between 2015 and 2024, 961 million people gained access to safely managed drinking water, while 1.2 billion gained safely managed sanitation and 1.6 billion gained access to basic hygiene services.
However, the report stressed that this progress remains insufficient to achieve universal coverage by 2030. Meeting water, sanitation and hygiene targets in schools by the deadline will require doubling the current rate of progress.
Climate Change Intensifies Water Crisis
Water scarcity is closely linked to climate change, with severe droughts in many regions worsening water shortages, directly affecting human health and productivity while threatening biodiversity.
The report noted that roughly half of the world's population experienced severe water scarcity during at least part of 2022, while one quarter faced “extremely high” levels of water stress.
The number of urban residents facing water scarcity is also projected to double, rising from around 930 million people in 2016 to between 1.7 and 2.4 billion by 2050.
Only 0.5% of the water on Earth is usable and available freshwater, making the protection and efficient management of water resources increasingly critical.
Calls for Greater Investment
To ensure universal access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030, the report calls for increased investment in water infrastructure, the protection of water-related ecosystems, improved hygiene education and greater water-use efficiency.
At the current rate of progress, the world will not achieve sustainable water management until at least 2049, according to the report.
It also calls for greater innovation and cross-sector coordination in water management, as well as the meaningful participation of women, youth, Indigenous communities and civil society organizations in water governance.
UN Water Conference
As part of efforts to accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, co-hosted by the United Arab Emirates and Senegal, will take place in the UAE from 8 to 10 December 2026.
The conference is expected to focus on increasing investment, promoting innovation and strengthening political commitment to accelerate progress on water, sanitation and hygiene targets.
The report stressed that sustainable water management is essential not only for health, but also for reducing poverty, strengthening food and energy security, preserving biodiversity, supporting peace and addressing climate change.
