Overview
- The World Meteorological Organization’s State of Global Water Resources report, published Sept. 17, 2026, shows 2025 was among the driest years for river flows in about 35 years with below-normal discharge across more than a third of global river basin area.
- The report documents a persistent decline in terrestrial water storage since roughly 2014–2016, meaning groundwater, lakes, soil moisture, snow and ice no longer provide the same multi-year buffer against dry seasons.
- Glaciers lost an estimated 408 billion tonnes of ice in 2025 and about 1,400 billion tonnes from 2023–2025, a trend that reduces long-term dry-season meltwater for downstream communities and adds to sea-level rise.
- Nearly two-thirds of monitored groundwater wells showed conditions outside historical norms in 2025, shifting further toward deficits and threatening water for drinking, irrigation and hydropower in vulnerable regions.
- The WMO calls for expanded monitoring, shared data and cross-border early warnings because observation gaps in regions such as Asia and Africa hamper planning and a strengthening El Niño is likely to amplify droughts in some places and floods in others.