This map shows worldwide surface water and ground water withdrawal as percentage of total renewable water resources. Water withdrawal is the quantity of water removed from available sources for use in any purpose. Water drawn-off is not necessarily entirely consumed and some portion may be returned for further use downstream. This parameter is an indication of the pressure on the renewable water resources. Almost half of the world's population face a scarcity of water.

According to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals report says that water use has grown at more than twice the rate of the population for the past century.

* Although there is not yet a global water shortage, about 2.8 billion people, representing more than 40 per cent of the world's population, live in river basins with some form of water scarcity.
* More than 1.2 billion of them live under conditions of physical water scarcity, which occurs when more than 75 per cent of the river flows are withdrawn. Northern Africa and Western Asia are seriously compromised, as are some regions within large countries such as China and India. Symptoms include environmental degradation and competition for water.
* Another 1.6 billion people live in areas of economic water scarcity, where human, institutional and financial capital limit access to water, even though water in nature is available locally to meet human demands. These conditions are prevalent in much of Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Symptoms include lack of or underdeveloped water infrastructure, high vulnerability to short- and long-term drought, and difficult access to reliable water supplies, especially for rural people.

Note: Some countries having greater than 100%, beacuse there is no annual natural inflow and runoff that feed each hydrosystem