Translated with AI
On January 20, 2026, the United Nations University published a report declaring the advent of an "era of global water bankruptcy" amid chronic groundwater depletion, overexploitation of water resources, land and soil degradation, deforestation, and environmental pollution. The document calls on world leaders to adapt to this new reality, based on scientific evidence, according to the UN press service.
The report's authors note that the familiar terms "water stress" and "water crisis" no longer capture the situation in many regions of the world. They are instead dealing with a post-crisis state characterized by the irreversible loss of natural water capital. "Many regions are operating beyond their hydrological capacity, and many key water systems have already failed," said lead author Kaveh Madani, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health.
According to the report, countries not only used up surface and groundwater, including water contained in soil and snow, but also depleted long-term "reserves"—glaciers and wetlands. This led to serious consequences: land subsidence in river deltas and coastal cities, the disappearance of lakes and wetlands, and irreversible loss of biodiversity.
The report was published ahead of a high-level meeting in Dakar, Senegal, on January 26–27, to prepare for the 2026 UN Water Conference, scheduled for December 2–4 in the United Arab Emirates.
According to Madani, while not every river basin or country is in a state of water bankruptcy, many key water systems have already crossed that threshold. "These systems are interconnected through trade, migration, climate feedbacks, and geopolitical dependencies, so the global risk landscape has fundamentally changed," he emphasized, noting the need for international cooperation in this area.
The report's authors identified "hot spots" where the situation is particularly dire. The Middle East and North Africa are experiencing water shortages, climate shocks, low agricultural productivity, and sandstorms. In South Asia, intensive groundwater use and urbanization are leading to lower groundwater levels and localized soil subsidence. In the southwestern United States, the Colorado River has become a symbol of the water crisis caused by resource overuse, climate change, and droughts.
The report provides statistics demonstrating the scale of the problem:
50 percent of the world's large lakes have lost some volume of water since the early 1990s;
the area of natural wetlands lost over the last 50 years amounted to 410 million hectares;
More than 30 percent of global glacier mass has been lost since 1970;
dozens of large rivers no longer reach the sea during certain periods of the year;
4 billion people experience acute water shortages at least one month a year;
3 billion people live in areas where overall water supplies are declining, yet these regions produce more than 50 percent of the world's food;
1.8 billion people lived in drought conditions in 2022–2023.
The report emphasizes that agriculture consumes the vast majority of freshwater, and food systems are closely linked through trade and prices. Water shortages in one region impact global markets, political stability, and food security in other countries.
Water bankruptcy is seen as a global phenomenon with profound social and political consequences, requiring attention at the highest levels of government and multilateral cooperation. "We cannot restore lost glaciers… But we can prevent further loss of remaining natural capital and rebuild institutions to cope with the new conditions," Madani stated.
Upcoming events, including the 2026 UN Water Conference, offer opportunities to advance this agenda. The published report is a call for a transformation of global water policy and for making difficult decisions to protect people, economies, and ecosystems. "The longer we delay, the deeper the water scarcity becomes," Madani concluded.
