Implications for the future: Meeting the challenge of water scarcity

Irrigation is, and will remain, the largest single user of water, but its share of world water consumption is projected to decline from 80 percent in 1995 to 72 percent in 2025 under the business-as-usual scenario (BAU). Economic expansion, population growth and urbanisation will drive demand in the non-irrigation sectors including domestic, industrial and livestock water demand, which will increase by 62 percent over 1995 levels