In the guide below, we consider which cities and countries across the world might have the best fresh water supplies and resources.
We do this by looking at different ways to assess freshwater resources & supplies and also drinking water/tap water, and getting an idea of which countries rank well, or rank poorly across the various indicators.
It’s worth noting that the freshwater supplies of a city is one of the factors that contributes to how sustainable or green a city is.
(*Note – this guide contain general information only, and not professional advice)
Summary – Cities & Countries With The Best Fresh Water Supplies & Resources
How To Assess ‘Best’ Freshwater Supplies & Resources
There might be no single objective way to determine which country or city has the ‘best’ freshwater supplies and resources, or tap water.
However, in the guide below, we’ve analysed which countries might rank well or rank poorly across the following indicators:
– Total freshwater resources (in volume)
– Total freshwater resources (per capita) (takes into account population size and consumption rates)
– Where the world’s largest surface water sources, and also the largest ground water sources are located
– Countries that are most water stressed or water scarce
– Capacity for augmenting water supplies
– Countries with the cleanest and safest tap water
– Countries or regions with unsafe or high risk drinking water and tap water
– Countries with the purest or cleanest water storage bodies
– Countries with poorly managed water resources
– Countries with the most sustainably managed water supplies
With this in mind, it’s difficult to definitively say one country has the ‘best’ water supplies and resources
But, some countries might rank higher across the range of different indicators than others.
Countries With The Most Total Freshwater Resources – By Volume
In terms of total volume of internal renewable fresh water resources, Brazil, Russia, and the US are some of the countries with the most water
Countries With The Most Freshwater Resources – Per Capita/Per Person
In terms of per capita renewable internal fresh water resources, Greenland, Iceland, Guyana, and Suriname are some of the countries with the most water
Freshwater Resource Volumes, & Availability & Accessibility Can Differ Between Regions Within A Country
What should also be notes be noted though, is that although a country can have high total volumes or per capita volumes of fresh water resources, water resources can still be distributed unequally across the different regions within an individual country.
Additionally, some regions may have more issues with accessibility and availability of water resources than others (due to physical, economic or management challenges and limitations, amongst other reasons)
Largest Sources Of Surface Water In The World
Various reports indicate that the largest surface water sources in the world are Lake Baikal in Russia, the North American Great Lakes, and the African Great Lakes (in different African countries)
You can read more about the largest sources of surface water in the world in this guide.
Largest Sources Of Groundwater In The World
The 37 largest sources of groundwater appear to be spread out across different countries.
You can read more about the largest sources of groundwater in the world in this guide.
Most Water Stressed & Water Scarce Countries & Cities In The World
Capacity For Augmenting Water Supplies
Augmenting water supplies involves adding to them or modifying them (by generating more, recycling water, etc.)
Something we have not done at this stage is looked at each country or city’s capacity to generate new water supplies via methods like:
– Man made groundwater replenishment
– Plus other methods
These things could make each city or country’s water supply better than what is available to them naturally, and more secure or better protected from future water risks.
Countries & Regions With Cleanest & Safest Tap Water
It’s mainly developed countries that are listed as having some of the cleanest or safest tap water to drink
Several reports list Germany, Greenland, Canada, and New Zealand as individual countries with some of the cleanest or safest tap water, although there are others
For example, some regions in the US test better for their drinking water than others
Factors That Might Impact Drinking Water & Tap Water Quality
We list some of the factors that may potentially impact drinking water and tap water quality in the guide below
How To Find Out The Drinking Water Quality In A City
We discuss how to find out the drinking water quality of a local water source or supply in this guide.
Cities, Countries & Regions With Unsafe Or High Risk Drinking Water & Tap Water
One report indicates there’s roughly 187 countries in the world where tap water is deemed unsafe or unpalatable for tourists, and regions like Central America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East are deemed high-risk
There may also be countries where the water can’t be drank, or is recommended to be avoided.
We list these countries in the guide below
Countries With The Cleanest Or Purest Water Storage Bodies & Sources
There’s a range of countries that have clean or pure water storage bodies and sources (like lakes, rivers, groundwater aquifers, etc)
In the guide below, we list these countries and locations, and give potential reasons for why the water is so clean or pure in these water bodies (and their locations).
Countries With Poorly Managed Water Supplies
Some of the countries with the most poorly managed water resources are home to developing or underdeveloped regions.
Uganda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Cambodia, Nepal, Ghana, Bhutan, Pakistan, Congo and Mexico are all potential examples of countries with regions that have poorly managed water supplies, according to one report
Some Regions Within Some Developed Countries Have Questionable Water Supplies
Regions or States/provinces in developed countries aren’t immune to questionable or poor water quality, or water stress issues.
Many regions of developed countries might face issues with water pollution or contamination.
Cities like Cape Town also face water scarcity issues, and subsequent water problems.
Cities With The Most Sustainably Managed Water Supplies
The sustainable management of water supplies takes into account several measures of sustainable management and stewardship
Some of the cities with the most sustainably managed water supplies in the world, in terms of efficiency, resiliency and quality, are Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Berlin – just to name a few
However, there’s several sustainability indicators for sustainable water supply management, and some countries rank high in one indicator and lower in another
Countries With Good Water Recycling Standards
Countries With Good Wastewater Treatment Standards
Denmark, Germany, Greenland are listed by one reports as some countries with notable wastewater treatment standards
Other Factors That Can Impact A City’s Water Supply
Examples of other miscellaneous considerations when assessing a city’s water supply involve things such as availability of, and access to water resources (whether water can be accessed from a physical or economic perspective within a region).
Read more about global water issues and how they can impact water quantity and water quality in this guide
Each City Or Town Ultimately Need’s Their Own Assessment Of Water Resources & Supplies
What we can observe from the data, is that it’s mostly not accurate enough to look at water resources and supplies on a country wide level.
It’s might be more accurate to look at resources and supplies on a city, town or region specific level, as each geographic location can have different water quantities, water quality, water access, water management, and other variables that impact how good or bad their water supply is
*Note About Water Safety
A qualified expert is the only person who can give a professional opinion on whether a water sample shows safe results, or whether water is safe to drink, consume or use.
Additionally, people should make the decision to consume or use water at their own risk, and after doing their own due diligence.
The information in this guide is general information only.
Countries With The Most Fresh Water Resources – Total Volume
We listed the countries with the most internal freshwater resources (in total volume) in a separate guide
As a summary, Brazil has the most internal freshwater resources by volume, followed by Russia, and then the US
Countries With The Most Fresh Water Resources – Per Capita/Per Person
We listed the countries with the most internal freshwater resources (per capita) in a separate guide
Greenland has the most renewable internal freshwater resources per capita, followed by Iceland, and then Guyana
Largest Sources Of Surface Water In The World
Various reports indicate that the largest surface water sources in the world are Lake Baikal in Russia, the North American Great Lakes, and the African Great Lakes (in different African countries)
Largest Sources Of Groundwater In The World
According to one report, the 37 largest ground water sources are located across different countries the world.
Read this guide where a resource is available that shows these locations on a map/graphic.
Most Water Stressed & Water Scarce Cities & Countries In The World
The more water stress or water scarce a country is, the less water resources they have available to meet demand for water needs across society, and the more competition there is for water resources
According to several reports, The Middle East is the most water stressed region in the world right now
China, India, and Sub-Saharan Africa may also be some of the other top water stressed countries and regions in the world
Read more about the most water stressed countries and cities in the world in this guide
Capacity For Additional Water Supplies
At this point, we haven’t extracted information on the cities and countries that have the highest capacity to add to their natural water supplies.
If we do this in the future, we will add information to this section.
Cities & Countries With The Best Drinking Water & Tap Water (Cleanest, Safest & Best Quality)
It mainly developed countries that are listed as having some of the cleanest or safest tap water to drink
Several reports list Germany, Greenland, Canada, and New Zealand as individual countries with some of the cleanest or safest tap water, although there are others
Reasons for different countries having safe or clean tap water are also given below for some countries
Safest Or Cleanest Tap Water
Per dailymail.co.uk:
… tap water is safest in the developed world, including: UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Northern and Western Europe, the US and Japan
thewaterdeliverycompany.com lists the top 9 countries with the cleanest tap water:
Denmark
Iceland
Greenland
Finland (According to the United Nations, Finland ranks amongst the best in the world for its tap water quality)
Colombia
Singapore
New Zealand
Sweden
Canada
According to castlewater.co.uk, some of the countries with clean tap water, and the reasons they might have clean tap water might be:
Switzerland (because of good rain, melt from glaciers, and good water policy)
Canada (because of geography, and a regulated filtration process)
UK
New Zealand
Singapore
Germany
Scandinavia & Finland
hydrotech-group.com also mentions that:
Germany has one of the most ‘safe and most inspected’ water products in the world
[And, although Greenland has one of the cleanest water sources in the world, it uses] mainly processed water from local lakes and rivers
thetravel.com mentions that Voss in Norway has clean water
Countries Where The Tap Water Can Be Drank
dailymail.co.uk also list major countries where you can currently drink the tap water
Factors That Can Affect Drinking Water & Tap Water Quality
There’s many factors that can impact water quality, but some of the major ones might be:
– Levels of water pollution and contamination to freshwater sources
– Levels of salinity in freshwater sources
– Whether the water is naturally filtered
By geography such as soil, clay, rock, and the surrounding environment
– How the water is treated, purified and filtrated by man made technology
How many levels of filtration it goes through, and what is removed or added from the water
– How stringent quality control is
Testing and monitoring quality of the water
– What the water is actually being tested for
– Whether the water is contaminated in the public supply pipes
Via leaching of chemicals, metals, and so on
– Whether there is a government ministry or body dedicated to achieving and monitoring water goals
– Whether the water in a region has received an international ISO water quality certificate
Other Information On Factors That May Impact Drinking Water & Tap Water Quality
castlewater.co.uk has this to say about tap water quality and what can determine how good or bad it is:
The purity of tap water really comes down to two things – the source it originates from and the level of filtration it goes through before it gets to our taps
[Storage sources regularly being topped up with rain water and effective water treatment/filtration technology can both lead to clean tap water]
How To Research The Drinking Water Quality In A City
Something we also mention in that guide is that different online reports can dispute the quality of a cit or town’s tap water/drinking water.
Cities, Countries & Regions With The Worst Drinking Water Or Tap Water – Unsafe, Or High Risk
Tap water can be deemed unsafe to drink, or present a high risk to drink.
One report indicates there’s roughly 187 countries in the world where tap water is deemed unsafe or unpalatable for tourists, and regions like Central America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East are deemed high-risk
There may also be countries where the water can’t be drank, or is recommended to be avoided.
Tap water that is listed as dirty or unsafe may be unsafe for everyone, or it may just cause problems for tourists and visitors (whose bodies aren’t adapted to the water).
Make sure you read the government’s tourism website or water quality websites for some clarification on this before drinking the water.
Countries Where Tap Water Is Deemed Unsafe, High Risk Or Unpalatable
Per dailymail.co.uk:
… there are 187 countries in the world where tap water is deemed unsafe or unpalatable for tourists.
… places such as Central America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East are deemed high-risk
Per thetravel.com, parts of the following countries may have unsafe drinking water:
Pakistan
Turkey in some locations – specifically out of the major cities (where water pipes are poor quality)
Hungary (outside of the major cities) (also, ‘around 30% of the country’s public potable water has failed to meet EU requirements)
Serbia (outside the major cities)
Cambodia
Montenegro
Belarus
Ukraine
Bulgaria (18 out of 28 districts in the country were home to substandard levels of drinking water)
Venezuela
Mexico (around three-quarters of the population consume packaged water)
Paraguay
San Pedro de Atacama in Chile
Parts of Bhutan (only 44.3% of the Bhutanese water supply is safe for human consumption)
Peru
Parts of China
Parts of India
Parts of Jamaica
Cuba (majority of households in the country will customarily boil the tap water before drinking)
Countries Where The Tap Water Can’t Be Drank
dailymail.co.uk lists some countries where the tap water currently can’t be drank as:
Ukraine
Mexico
Brazil
Argentina
Turkey
Morocco
Chad
South Africa
India
Indonesia
China
Russia
Kazakhstan
… Refer to the dailymail.co.uk resource in the sources list for the full list of 187 countries
Dealing With Unsafe Or Dirty Tap Water
People should do their own research and make their own decisions in regards to water safety, and the general use and consumption of tap water and drinking water.
Where tap water may be questionable to drink, some options that different people choose might involve:
– Buying bottled water
– Boiling water
– Various methods of water purification
Cities & Countries With The Most Contaminated Tap Water
Countries & Cities With Clean Fresh Water Storage Sources
Water storage includes water bodies like surface water sources (like lakes and rivers) or a ground water sources where freshwater is stored in nature.
Water is then extracted, treated and delivered to homes buildings via water infrastructure.
There’s a range of countries that have clean or pure water storage bodies and sources.
According to hydrotech-group.com, some of the countries with the cleanest water storage sources and natural water bodies (separate to the end product of tap water) are:
Chile (Puerto Williams reportedly has the cleanest water in the world, and some very clean water is also found in Torres del Paine)
Canada (specifically, Springwater near Toronto … achieved by unique mountain ecosystem around the city that makes water decontaminated flowing through several layers of soil, clay and sand)
Denmark
Austria (has the Austrian Water Pact in place)
Iceland (has layers of volcanic sediment through which the water pours to the surface perfectly filtered … and doesn’t need additional chemical treatments)
Switzerland
From mappingmegan.com, some of the purest and cleanest water bodies and sources in the world are:
Alaska, US
Crater Lake, US
Elmvale, Canada
Lake Malawi, East Africa
Gold Mines, South Africa
Puerto Williams, Chile
Yotei Mountain, Japan
Mount Emei, China
River Thames, England (regarded as the cleanest river in the world that flows through a major city)
Caragh River, Ireland
Tara River, Montenegro
Blue Lake, New Zealand
Yarra Ranges, Australia
Lake Vostok, Antarctica
Countries & Cities With The Most Poorly Managed Water Supplies
There are a range of countries listed below that have regions of ‘poorly managed’ water supplies.
According to usnews.com, when assessing accessibility, availability and quality of drinking water, these countries have the most poorly managed water:
Uganda
Ethiopia
Nigeria (although, it’s fast improving)
Cambodia
Nepal (quality of water issues)
Ghana (access to water issues)
Bhutan (quality of water issues)
Pakistan (quality of water issues)
Congo (access to water issues)
Mexico (quality of water issues)
Cities & Countries That Might Manage Their Water Resources Most Sustainably
According to one report, Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Berlin might manage and maintain their water resources most sustainably amongst all the cities in the world
Some countries like the US may rank highly in one aspect of sustainability, but rank lower in others
The Arcadis Sustainable Cities Water Index (available at arcadis.com) list the cities that rank highest in terms of how sustainably they manage and maintain water, but also against their natural risk and vulnerability across three pillars of water sustainability – resiliency, efficiency and quality.
The top cities are:
Rotterdam – 85.5%
Copenhagen – 85.4%
Amsterdam – 83.9%
Berlin – 82.9%
Brussels – 79.8%
Toronto – 79.6%
Frankfurt – 78.2%
Sydney – 77.1%
Birmingham – 76.4%
Manchester – 76%
Melbourne – 75.9%
Paris – 75.4%
[The cities that follow Paris, in order, are Washington, New York, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas, Madrid, Chicago, London, Singapore, Seoul, San Francisco, Tokyo, Istanbul, Los Angeles, Rome, Moscow, Hong Kong]
… cities in North America tend to outperform other world cities when it comes to water quality, [but] U.S. cities are more exposed to natural risks than peers in Europe [and tend to rank worse in resiliency]
[View the full list of rankings at the arcadis.com resource link in the sources list below]
[You can sort cities into the three above mentioned categories]
Cities & Countries That Might Have The Least Safely Managed Water Supplies
Countries With Notable Water Recycling Standards
Countries With Good Wastewater Treatment Standards
Denmark, Germany, Greenland are listed by one reports as some countries with notable wastewater treatment standards
According to hydrotech-group.com, some of the countries with notable wastewater treatment standards are:
Denmark (especially strictly observes the treatment of industrial waste water)
Germany (levels of waste water treatment is very high in specific parts of Germany)
Greenland (to treat waste water here, a special permit issued by the government must be issued)
Other Resources On Fresh Water Quality
Countries & Cities With The Most Water Pollution & Contamination
How To Research If Water Is Safe To Drink In A Specific Country Or City
Understanding The Water Quality Standards For Potable & Non Potable Water
Which Factors Can Impact Freshwater Resources & Supplies Around The World?
We list some of the main factors that impact water quantity and quality in this guide.
Sources
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_renewable_water_resources
2. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.H2O.INTR.PC?end=2014&most_recent_value_desc=true&start=2014&view=map&year_high_desc=true
3. https://www.the71percent.org/the-worlds-fresh-water-sources/
4. Miaschi, John. “Which Country Has the Most Fresh Water?” WorldAtlas, Sept. 24, 2018, worldatlas.com/articles/countries-with-the-most-freshwater-resources.html
5. https://www.arcadis.com/en/global/our-perspectives/which-cities-are-best-placed-to-harness-water-for-future-success-/
6. https://waterfm.com/arcadis-study-u-s-cities-face-serious-water-risks/
7. https://www.thewaterdeliverycompany.com/2018/03/12/countries-best-drinking-water/
8. https://www.hydrotech-group.com/blog/10-krajin-ktore-sa-mozu-pochvalit-najcistejsou-vodou-na-svete
9. Various ‘Better Meets Reality’ guides
10. https://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/stockholm/faq-frequently-asked-questions#8
11. https://www.thetravel.com/20-countries-where-drinking-the-water-is-a-okay-10-it-should-be-avoided/
12. https://www.castlewater.co.uk/blog/which-country-has-the-cleanest-tap-water
13. https://www.mappingmegan.com/purest-water-in-the-world-countries-with-clean-drinking-water/
14. https://bestlifeonline.com/countries-with-worst-tap-water/
15. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/slideshows/10-countries-with-the-worst-water-supply
16. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6782169/The-187-countries-NOT-drink-tap-water-not-safe.html
17. https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2015/06/17/groundwater-depletion-nasa-study_n_7603292.html?ri18n=true
18. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4626
19. https://www.livescience.com/29673-how-much-water-on-earth.html
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