Water Facts: Water in Third World Countries

Here is the US we can take for granted our easy access to clean water. But for many living in third world or developing countries that is not the case. So for this blog post we decided to share ten facts and statistics about water in third world countries.

1.     884 million people (1 in 8) lack access to safe water supplies. 87% of those people live in Sub-Sahara Africa

2.     80% of illness in developing countries are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions.

3.     3.5 million people die each year of water related diseases.

4.     Nearly 1 out of every 5 deaths of children 5 or younger worldwide are due to water related illness. Diarrhea is the second leading cause of child death. Diarrhea is caused by poor sanitation, hygiene, or dirty drinking water.

5.     64% (two thirds) of households rely on women to get family’s water. They walk a average of 3.5 miles a day and a average of 15 hours per week.

6.     The United Nations estimates that Sub-Sahara Africa alone loses 40 billion hours per year collecting water.

7.     By 2025, the proportion of the world’s population living in water-stressed countries is set to increase by two thirds.

8.     Clean water is one aspect of improving sustainable food production in order to reduce poverty and hunger.

9.     Less than 80% of sewage in developing countries is discharged untreated, polluting rivers, lakes and coastal areas.

10. 2 out of 3 people who need safe drinking water survive on less than $2 a day.

Sources: DoSomething.org, The Water Project