Countries with the worst water shortage, ranked
Every country in the latest water stress ranking, most stressed first, with its score from 0 (least stressed) to 5 (most stressed).
Water stress compares how much water a country takes out each year with how much renewable water it has. A score of 5 means extremely high stress, which the ranking defines as using over 80% of the renewable supply.
The table lists every country in the 2023 ranking, from the most stressed down, with the score it received (the baseline data are for 2019). Kuwait, Cyprus, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates all sit at the top score of 5.00; the chart shows the first ten places.
Key figures
Water stress by country, 2023 ranking
Rank 1 is the most water-stressed country. The score runs from 0.00 (least stressed) to 5.00 (most stressed).
| Rank | Country | Water stress score (0 to 5) | Ranking year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kuwait | 5.00 | 2023 |
| 2 | Cyprus | 5.00 | 2023 |
| 3 | Oman | 5.00 | 2023 |
| 4 | Qatar | 5.00 | 2023 |
| 5 | Bahrain | 5.00 | 2023 |
| 6 | Lebanon | 5.00 | 2023 |
| 7 | United Arab Emirates | 5.00 | 2023 |
| 8 | Saudi Arabia | 4.98 | 2023 |
| 9 | Israel | 4.94 | 2023 |
| 10 | Egypt | 4.85 | 2023 |
| 11 | Libya | 4.81 | 2023 |
| 12 | Yemen | 4.69 | 2023 |
| 13 | Botswana | 4.66 | 2023 |
| 14 | Iran | 4.65 | 2023 |
| 15 | Jordan | 4.62 | 2023 |
| 16 | Chile | 4.47 | 2023 |
| 17 | San Marino | 4.45 | 2023 |
| 18 | Belgium | 4.41 | 2023 |
| 19 | Greece | 4.34 | 2023 |
| 20 | Tunisia | 4.28 | 2023 |
| 21 | Namibia | 4.18 | 2023 |
| 22 | South Africa | 4.17 | 2023 |
| 23 | Iraq | 4.15 | 2023 |
| 24 | India | 4.11 | 2023 |
| 25 | Syria | 4.01 | 2023 |
| 26 | Mexico | 4.00 | 2023 |
| 27 | Morocco | 3.99 | 2023 |
| 28 | Eritrea | 3.94 | 2023 |
| 29 | Spain | 3.94 | 2023 |
| 30 | Algeria | 3.87 | 2023 |
| 31 | Pakistan | 3.79 | 2023 |
| 32 | Peru | 3.74 | 2023 |
| 33 | Turkmenistan | 3.74 | 2023 |
| 34 | Uzbekistan | 3.63 | 2023 |
| 35 | Thailand | 3.62 | 2023 |
| 36 | Andorra | 3.54 | 2023 |
| 37 | Niger | 3.47 | 2023 |
| 38 | Albania | 3.47 | 2023 |
| 39 | Turkey | 3.39 | 2023 |
| 40 | Afghanistan | 3.37 | 2023 |
| 41 | Italy | 3.34 | 2023 |
| 42 | Kyrgyzstan | 3.28 | 2023 |
| 43 | Portugal | 3.26 | 2023 |
| 44 | Djibouti | 3.18 | 2023 |
| 45 | Nepal | 3.18 | 2023 |
| 46 | Mongolia | 3.13 | 2023 |
| 48 | Armenia | 2.99 | 2023 |
| 49 | Lesotho | 2.95 | 2023 |
| 50 | Luxembourg | 2.93 | 2023 |
| 51 | Australia | 2.91 | 2023 |
| 52 | China | 2.80 | 2023 |
| 53 | Mauritania | 2.73 | 2023 |
| 54 | Guyana | 2.70 | 2023 |
| 55 | Indonesia | 2.67 | 2023 |
| 56 | Bangladesh | 2.66 | 2023 |
| 57 | United States | 2.60 | 2023 |
| 58 | Kazakhstan | 2.51 | 2023 |
| 59 | Azerbaijan | 2.47 | 2023 |
| 60 | South Korea | 2.38 | 2023 |
| 61 | Sri Lanka | 2.36 | 2023 |
| 62 | Tajikistan | 2.34 | 2023 |
| 63 | North Korea | 2.32 | 2023 |
| 64 | Senegal | 2.22 | 2023 |
| 65 | Zimbabwe | 2.17 | 2023 |
| 66 | Lithuania | 2.14 | 2023 |
| 67 | Myanmar | 2.13 | 2023 |
| 68 | Vietnam | 2.11 | 2023 |
| 69 | Germany | 2.04 | 2023 |
| 70 | Philippines | 2.03 | 2023 |
| 71 | Japan | 1.97 | 2023 |
| 72 | El Salvador | 1.95 | 2023 |
| 73 | France | 1.92 | 2023 |
| 74 | Tanzania | 1.91 | 2023 |
| 75 | Cambodia | 1.87 | 2023 |
| 76 | Czechia | 1.84 | 2023 |
| 77 | Argentina | 1.83 | 2023 |
| 78 | Uruguay | 1.83 | 2023 |
| 79 | Venezuela | 1.82 | 2023 |
| 80 | Timor-Leste | 1.77 | 2023 |
| 81 | Somalia | 1.67 | 2023 |
| 82 | Suriname | 1.67 | 2023 |
| 83 | Poland | 1.66 | 2023 |
| 84 | Burkina Faso | 1.65 | 2023 |
| 85 | Cuba | 1.65 | 2023 |
| 86 | Slovakia | 1.62 | 2023 |
| 87 | Dominican Republic | 1.60 | 2023 |
| 88 | Haiti | 1.60 | 2023 |
| 89 | Netherlands | 1.58 | 2023 |
| 90 | Sudan | 1.46 | 2023 |
| 91 | Bulgaria | 1.46 | 2023 |
| 92 | South Sudan | 1.39 | 2023 |
| 93 | Ukraine | 1.37 | 2023 |
| 94 | United Kingdom | 1.30 | 2023 |
| 95 | Moldova | 1.26 | 2023 |
| 96 | Serbia | 1.24 | 2023 |
| 97 | Canada | 1.23 | 2023 |
| 98 | Estonia | 1.22 | 2023 |
| 99 | Romania | 1.19 | 2023 |
| 100 | Belarus | 1.18 | 2023 |
| 101 | Russia | 1.17 | 2023 |
| 102 | Angola | 1.13 | 2023 |
| 103 | Brazil | 1.04 | 2023 |
| 104 | Malaysia | 1.03 | 2023 |
| 105 | Guatemala | 1.03 | 2023 |
| 106 | Ethiopia | 0.96 | 2023 |
| 107 | Denmark | 0.95 | 2023 |
| 108 | Georgia | 0.93 | 2023 |
| 109 | Madagascar | 0.90 | 2023 |
| 110 | Chad | 0.85 | 2023 |
| 111 | Zambia | 0.85 | 2023 |
| 112 | Finland | 0.81 | 2023 |
| 113 | Liechtenstein | 0.81 | 2023 |
| 114 | Nigeria | 0.80 | 2023 |
| 115 | Kenya | 0.79 | 2023 |
| 116 | Sweden | 0.78 | 2023 |
| 117 | Malawi | 0.75 | 2023 |
| 118 | Panama | 0.75 | 2023 |
| 119 | Laos | 0.74 | 2023 |
| 120 | Montenegro | 0.72 | 2023 |
| 121 | Mali | 0.68 | 2023 |
| 122 | Ecuador | 0.66 | 2023 |
| 123 | Costa Rica | 0.65 | 2023 |
| 124 | Latvia | 0.57 | 2023 |
| 125 | Slovenia | 0.53 | 2023 |
| 126 | Colombia | 0.50 | 2023 |
| 127 | Hungary | 0.43 | 2023 |
| 128 | Switzerland | 0.41 | 2023 |
| 129 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0.40 | 2023 |
| 130 | Bhutan | 0.37 | 2023 |
| 131 | Mozambique | 0.37 | 2023 |
| 132 | Ireland | 0.36 | 2023 |
| 133 | Guinea | 0.36 | 2023 |
| 134 | Eswatini | 0.31 | 2023 |
| 135 | Guinea-Bissau | 0.31 | 2023 |
| 136 | Austria | 0.26 | 2023 |
| 137 | Nicaragua | 0.21 | 2023 |
| 138 | Uganda | 0.20 | 2023 |
| 139 | Norway | 0.19 | 2023 |
| 140 | Croatia | 0.17 | 2023 |
| 141 | Bolivia | 0.16 | 2023 |
| 142 | Honduras | 0.11 | 2023 |
| 143 | Ghana | 0.11 | 2023 |
| 144 | Belize | 0.07 | 2023 |
| 145 | New Zealand | 0.05 | 2023 |
| 146 | Gambia | 0.02 | 2023 |
| 147 | Republic of the Congo | 0.01 | 2023 |
| 148 | Cameroon | 0.01 | 2023 |
| 149 | DR Congo | 0.01 | 2023 |
| 150 | Central African Republic | 0.01 | 2023 |
Where the pressure is
- 25 countries are exposed to extremely high water stress each year, meaning they use over 80% of their renewable water supply.
- In the Middle East and North Africa 83% of the population is exposed to extremely high water stress, and in South Asia 74%.
- By 2050 an additional 1 billion people are expected to live with extremely high water stress.
The ten most water-stressed countries
| Category | Water stress score (0 to 5) |
|---|---|
| Kuwait | 5.0 |
| Cyprus | 5.0 |
| Oman | 5.0 |
| Qatar | 5.0 |
| Bahrain | 5.0 |
| Lebanon | 5.0 |
| United Arab Emirates | 5.0 |
| Saudi Arabia | 4.98 |
| Israel | 4.94 |
| Egypt | 4.85 |
What the numbers mean
A high rank does not mean a country has little water in total. It means the country takes out nearly all of the renewable water it has each year, so even a short drought leaves little in reserve. A country with plenty of water can score low even if it uses a lot.
Read the score as well as the rank. The first seven places share the same rounded score of 5.00, so the order among them is a fine distinction. Below that group the scores fall away: Saudi Arabia scores 4.98, Israel 4.94 and Egypt 4.85, and the countries at the foot of the table score 0.01.