Global water stores shrink as rivers, groundwater and glaciers hit record lows
A new WMO report shows that in 2025, river flow fell below normal in over a third of world basins and groundwater levels were low at most monitoring sites.
According to the World Meteorological Organization's 2025 State of Global Water Resources, the volume of water stored on continents continues to decline. River flow was below the 1991-2020 reference in 36% of global basins, and groundwater levels were beneath that baseline at 65% of monitored sites. Glaciers shed roughly 408 gigatonnes of mass, the fourth year in a row of net ice loss, totaling about 1,400 gigatonnes since 2023.
Scientists attribute the trend to higher atmospheric temperatures that boost evaporation and melt ice, combined with large-scale groundwater withdrawals for irrigation. Central Asia and Afghanistan face the sharpest reductions, with key rivers such as the Amu Darya and Syr Darya running far below normal. The simultaneous depletion of surface water, groundwater and ice reduces the natural buffers that mitigate drought, raising the risk of water-related disasters worldwide.
Why it matters
Declining water resources threaten food security, ecosystems and billions of people who depend on rivers and groundwater.
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