Shrinking Freshwater Reserves Signal Decade of Drought and Glacier Loss, WMO Warns

In 2025, roughly 36% of the planet’s river‑basin area recorded below‑normal discharge, marking one of the driest flow years in the past 35 years. This decline sits within a broader downward trend in terrestrial water storage that has been observed since around 2014–2016. Groundwater conditions also worsened, with nearly two‑thirds of monitored wells falling outside their typical ranges during the same year. Over the last five years, Asia and Africa together have experienced at least half of all reported water‑related extreme events, and more than 80% of the associated fatalities.

All 19 major glacier regions lost ice for the fourth year in a row, and glaciers shed around 408 gigatonnes of ice in 2025 alone. When combined with losses from 2023 to 2025, the total reaches roughly 1,400 gigatonnes—about one‑third of the freshwater the world extracts each year. Some smaller glacier systems, such as those in Central Europe and the western United States, may already be at “peak water,” meaning future melt contributions could decline. WMO scientists stress that while some loss is unavoidable, total disappearance is not inevitable if emissions are curbed.

Water monitoring has expanded dramatically, with 52 nations now providing data from more than 3,100 river‑flow stations, up from just seven countries and 14 stations in the first edition of the report. Nevertheless, observation gaps remain pronounced in Asia and Africa, where most extreme‑event deaths occur. Recent compound hazards, such as the rock‑glacier failure in the China‑Nepal border region, highlight the limits of national warning systems. WMO officials call for common data standards, cross‑border early‑warning networks, and coordinated response plans to help communities adapt to the rapidly shifting water baseline.