2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation, one in three of the world's population. 1

750 million people in the world do not have access to safe water. 2

Achieving universal access to safe water and sanitation would save 2.5 million lives every year. 3

Around 500,000 children die every year from diarrhea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation - that's over 1,400 children a day. 4
 

Every year, around 60 million children are born into homes without access to sanitation.5

For every $1 invested in water and sanitation, an average of at least $4 is returned in increased productivity.6

The 2015 goal to halve the proportion of people living without sanitation is running 130 years behind schedule in sub-Saharan Africa. 7

The Cantareira water system, largest of the six reservoirs that provide water to 20 million people living in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, Brazil is at 5.6% (as of January, 2015) of its capacity of one trillion liters (264 billion gallons), as reported by the water utility Sabesp. During the first two weeks of January 2015 rainfall totaled 7.1 centimeters (2.9 inches), well below the average 27.1 centimeters (10.7 inches). This comes as a result of the worst drought Brazil has faced in 84 years. 8


The water crisis is the #1 global risk based on impact to society (as a measure of devastation), and the #8 global risk based on likelihood (likelihood of occurring within 10 years) as announced by the World Economic Forum, January 2015 9
 

1.  (WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Report 2014 update)
2. (WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Report 2014)
3. (WHO, Global Burden of Disease 2004 Update, Geneva: WHO, 2008)
4. (Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed - Progress Report 2014, UNICEF, September 2014)
5.  (UNICEF, 2006 
http://www.unicef.org/publications/
files/Progress_for_Children_No._5_-_English.pdf page 3)
6.  (Hutton, Global costs and benefits of drinking-water supply and sanitation interventions to reach the MDG target and universal coverage, WHO, Geneva, 2012: page 4)
7. (WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation 2014)
8. World Economic Forum (2015).Global Risks 2015 Report.
9. World Resource Institute, http://www.wri.org/our-work/topics/water