According to the World Meteorological Organization’s latest report on global water resources, 2025 marked one of the driest years globally in the last 35 years for rivers. The report emphasizes that the long-term depletion of the Earth’s freshwater reserves and the retreat of glaciers pose severe threats to both human life and the economy.
The WMO highlights that the water cycle has become increasingly volatile, fluctuating dramatically between severe drought and excessive flooding. In the past seven years, the number of rivers with “normal” flow has been the lowest recorded since before 1991. The regions of Asia and Africa have been particularly vulnerable to water-related disasters, accounting for at least half of all extreme water events and over 80 percent of related fatalities in the last five years.
Furthermore, the WMO found that terrestrial water storage has been steadily declining since the mid-2010s. 2025 was the fourth consecutive year reporting widespread glacial retreat across all regions, which introduces dual risks: immediate dangers like flooding and chronic long-term water insecurity. Compounding these issues, national meteorological and hydrological services worldwide have reported record-breaking droughts and floods over the last five years, often occurring without sufficient time for natural recovery between events.
