Facts: Water

Water 1 in 10 people lack access to safe water Sanitation 1 in 3 people lack access to a toilet Women & Children Women and children spend 125 million hours each day collecting water Disease Every 90 seconds a child dies from a water-related disease Economics Every $1 invested in water and sanitation provides a $4 economic return Facts About Water & Sanitation Share 663 million people - 1 in 10 - lack access to safe water.1 2.4 billion people - 1 in 3 - lack access to a toilet.1 Twice the population of the United States lives without access to safe water.1,2 1/3 of the global population lives without access to a toilet.1,2 More people have a mobile phone than a toilet.1,3 The water crisis is the #1 global risk based on impact to society (as a measure of devastation), as announced by the World Economic Forum in January 2015. 4 Resource Links Look for more facts in our collection of Water Resource Links. References Donate now Get involved chevron_right Enewsletter sign-up

All The Water In The World (PHOTO) What would it look like if all of Earth's water was brought together in a single sphere? It might be smaller than you would imagine. The image above, from the USGS, shows all the world's water -- from bodies of water, glaciers, soil, water vapor and even living things -- in a sphere with a diameter of 860 miles. The USGS explains that the sphere only appears small in relation to the entire Earth -- the diameter of the sphere is a bit larger than the distance between Salt Lake City and Topeka, Kansas. They notes that, according to one estimate, nearly 97 percent of Earth's water can be found in oceans, seas and bays while less than one percent can be found as freshwater in lakes, rivers or the ground. British researchers recently mapped the quantity and potential yield of all of Africa's groundwater, which may help improve access to clean water for the continent's residents. Even the U.S. is not immune from water shortages. Also on HuffPost:

Oceans Alive! | The Water Planet If you look down at our planet from outer space, most of what you see is water; 71% of the planet's surface is covered by ocean and it is because of this that the Earth is sometimes called "the water planet". Only about three-tenths of our globe is covered with land. The ocean wraps the globe and is divided into four major regions: the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. Some scientists consider the waters around Antarctica to be a separate, fifth ocean as well. Begin your exploration here looking at the sea:

Let it run Where is Earth's water? USGS Water-Science School The USGS Water Science School "Water, Water, Everywhere...."You've heard the phrase, and for water, it really is true. Earth's water is (almost) everywhere: above the Earth in the air and clouds, on the surface of the Earth in rivers, oceans, ice, plants, in living organisms, and inside the Earth in the top few miles of the ground. Below are two representations of where Earth's water resides. The globe image represents how much actual water exists, compared to the total size of the Earth. Distribution of Earth's Water In the first bar, notice how only 2.5% of Earth's water is freshwater - the amount needed for life to survive. View a larger version of this image and learn more. All of the World's Water Earth's freshwater

Source Victoria Falls Grand Canyon & Colorado River Amazon River