The UN warns global water use exceeds replenishment, risking irreversible harm and water insecurity for billions.

According to the UN, the world has entered a period of "global water bankruptcy," which means that many areas are depleting water more quickly than nature can replenish it, endangering billions of people with water insecurity and causing irreversible harm to ecosystems. Widespread groundwater depletion, shrinking lakes and rivers, land subsidence, and declining aquifers due to climate change, overuse, pollution, and poor management are all mentioned in the report, which was published on January 20, 2026. 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity for at least one month a year, more than 70% of major aquifers are in long-term decline, and agriculture—which uses 70% of the world's freshwater—is a major contributing factor. In order to avoid more severe social, economic, and environmental instability, the phrase refers to a long-term change rather than a transient crisis that calls for immediate, evidence-based changes in infrastructure, policy, and water use.