Nexus Reports · The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation · Baseline Edition 2026

Nexus Global Sector Report · GS-01

Global Water 2026

The state of the world’s water system, access, scarcity, extremes and the couplings to energy, food, health and nature, at the 2026 baseline

Findings
12
each with its status and source
Sources
47
NR-CIT-1
Evidence close
30 September 2026
DC-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-B0
Status
Draft
in stewardship review

The record

The edition, its identifiers and its stewards.

NEXUS REPORTS GS-01 Global and sector Global Water Baseline Edition 2026 The state of the world’s water system, access, scarcity, extremes and the couplings to energy, food, health and nature, at the 2026 baseline NR-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0 In stewardship review W0
Publication ID
NR-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0
Series alias
NR-SEC-GS-01-2026-BL
Evidence cut
DC-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-B0
Evidence close
30 September 2026
DOI
concept and version DOI at deposit
Licence
CC BY 4.0 for Nexus material
  • Baseline Edition 2026
  • Global Sector Series
  • Public-safe edition
  • ◌ Draft in stewardship review
  1. TThe Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI)Publisher of record · technical truth · US / Canada
  2. MThe Global Risk Forum (GRF)Public meaning · legitimacy · Switzerland
  3. FThe Global Risk Alliance (GRA)Capital meaning · finance readiness · United States

About this edition

What this edition is, and is not.

The first annual edition of the global water report. It fixes the 2026 reference state of the world’s water system, and the model, voice and positions, against which the 2027 water edition and every national water chapter will be read.

What this edition is

A baseline: the state of water access, scarcity, groundwater, glaciers and extremes in 2026, and the couplings through which water carries risk into energy, food, health and nature. It synthesises published global evidence; it ranks no country or basin.

What it is not

Not a water-stress ranking, an allocation recommendation or an assessment of any utility, basin authority or government. Water rights and management rest with national and local authorities and basin organisations.

What comes next

National water chapters and basin evidence feed the 2027 water edition through the Nexus federation. Each edition reports what changed against this baseline, observations, source revisions, method changes, scenario updates and corrections.

Abstract and decision surface

The edition on one page.

Abstract

The world enters 2027 with a water system under strain from both ends. In 2022, 2.2 billion people still lacked safely managed drinking water and 3.5 billion lacked safely managed sanitation [1]; roughly half of the world’s people experience severe water scarcity for at least part of the year [2]. 2023 was the driest year for the world’s rivers in 33 years, and glaciers lost more than 600 gigatonnes of water, the largest annual loss in five decades [5]. Floods, storms and wildfires caused US$166 billion of 2025’s disaster losses [7], while freshwater wildlife populations have fallen by 85% on average since 1970 [17]. Agriculture takes about 70% of withdrawals [2], so water stress travels directly into food prices, hydropower, health and ecosystems. This Baseline Edition fixes the 2026 reference state of the global water system, maps its couplings to energy, food, health and nature, and sets the questions the 2027 edition will answer from basin and national evidence. It ranks no country or basin.

  • water security
  • water scarcity
  • groundwater
  • glaciers
  • floods and droughts
  • WASH
  • water–energy–food nexus

Headline finding

In 2022, 2.2 billion people lacked safely managed drinking water and 3.5 billion lacked safely managed sanitation, and 2 billion lacked basic hygiene facilities at home.

Headline figurePeople without services, 2022 (billion)
Safely managed drinking water2.2Safely managed sanitation3.5

Source: WHO/UNICEF JMP 2023 [1].

Implication

Service gaps concentrate in low-income, rural and fragile settings, where they compound health, education and gender inequalities and leave households most exposed when drought or flood strikes. Closing them is also climate adaptation [1] [10].

At a glance

Six readings and the questions this edition answers.

Six readings that frame the water baseline, and the eight questions this edition answers, each with its status and source.

2.2billionwithout safely managed water [1]
3.5billionwithout safely managed sanitation [1]
≈70%of withdrawals for agriculture [2]
153countriessharing transboundary waters [9]
1.4millionWASH-attributable deaths, 2019 [38]
739millionchildren in high water scarcity [39]
  1. Who lacks safe water?

    2.2 billion people lacked safely managed drinking water and 3.5 billion safely managed sanitation in 2022. [1]

    REPORTED

  2. How widespread is scarcity?

    Roughly half of the world’s people face severe scarcity for part of each year. [2] [22]

    REPORTED

  3. Is the water cycle changing?

    2023 was the driest year for rivers in 33 years; glaciers lost more than 600 Gt. [5]

    REPORTED

  4. What about groundwater?

    It supplies about half of domestic water, and declines have accelerated in many aquifers. [4] [20]

    REPORTED

  5. How does water drive food risk?

    Agriculture uses about 70% of withdrawals; drought cuts yields and raises prices. [2] [15]

    REPORTED

  6. How does water drive energy risk?

    Hydropower and thermal cooling depend on flows; drought cuts both. [14]

    INFERRED

  7. How healthy is freshwater nature?

    Freshwater wildlife fell by 85% on average since 1970; wetlands shrank by 22%. [17] [18]

    REPORTED

  8. What will 2027 test first?

    A multi-basin drought cutting hydropower and irrigated yields at once. SCN-GS01-MBD-01

    EXPERT INPUT

Systems dashboard

Where each system stood at evidence close.

WATWater

People without safely managed drinking water

2.2billion

and 2 billion without basic hygiene services at home.

REPORTED2022JMP [1]

ENEEnergy

Share of global freshwater withdrawals for energy

≈10%

mostly cooling for thermal power; hydropower adds storage and flow dependence.

REPORTED2014IEA [14]

FOOFood

Share of withdrawals used by agriculture

≈70%

Irrigated land produces a large share of the world’s food from a minority of cropland.

REPORTEDrecentUNWWDR [2] · FAO [15]

HLTHealth

Deaths attributable to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene

1.4million

in 2019, most of them from diarrhoeal disease.

REPORTED2019WHO [38]

BIOBiodiversity

Average decline of freshwater wildlife populations

−85%

1970–2020, the steepest decline of any realm.

REPORTED1970–2020WWF [17]

SYSCross-system

Driest year for global rivers in 33 years

2023

Glaciers lost more than 600 Gt of water in the same year.

REPORTED2023WMO [5]

Key findings

12 findings, grouped by system, never ranked.

Twelve findings carry the water baseline. They are grouped by coupling, never ranked. Each resolves to its source or, where Nexus analysis is involved, to its stated method.

StatusREPORTEDEXPERT INPUT

WATWater

  1. 2.2 billion people lacked safely managed drinking water and 3.5 billion lacked safely managed sanitation in 2022. [1]

  2. Roughly half of the world’s population experiences severe water scarcity for at least part of the year. [2] [22]

  3. Global water use has grown by about 1% a year over the past forty years. [3]

  4. 2023 was the driest year for global rivers in 33 years, and glaciers lost more than 600 Gt of water. [5]

  5. Groundwater supplies about half of domestic withdrawals and about a quarter of irrigation water; declines have accelerated in many aquifers. [4] [20]

FOOFood

  1. Agriculture accounts for about 70% of freshwater withdrawals, tying water stress directly to food production and prices. [2] [15]

ENEEnergy

  1. Energy production accounts for about 10% of global freshwater withdrawals, mainly for cooling thermal power plants. [14]

HLTHealth

  1. Unsafe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene caused about 1.4 million deaths in 2019. [38]

BIOBiodiversity

  1. Freshwater wildlife populations declined by 85% on average between 1970 and 2020, and 22% of wetland area has been lost since 1970. [17] [18]

CLIClimate forcing

  1. Floods, severe storms and wildfires caused US$166 billion of the US$224 billion in natural-disaster losses in 2025. [7]

GOVGovernance

  1. 153 countries share transboundary rivers, lakes or aquifers; most do not yet have operational arrangements covering all of them. [9]

SYSSystemic

  1. The leading compound pathway for 2027 testing is a multi-basin drought that cuts hydropower and irrigated yields at once while heat raises demand. § scenario

Part I · lead chapter

Water is where the systems meet

Water is usually reported as a sector: utilities, irrigation, flood defence. The 2026 evidence reads it as the medium through which almost every other system’s risk travels. Agriculture takes about 70% of withdrawals [2], thermal power plants and hydropower depend on flows [14], disease follows unsafe water [38], and freshwater ecosystems are declining faster than any other realm [17].

Access is still unfinished. In 2022, 2.2 billion people lacked safely managed drinking water, 3.5 billion lacked safely managed sanitation and 2 billion lacked basic hygiene facilities at home [1]. At current rates the world will not reach the 2030 targets for water and sanitation [10]. Unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene were linked to about 1.4 million deaths in 2019, most of them from diarrhoeal disease [38].

Scarcity is now a seasonal condition for half of humanity. Roughly half of the world’s people experience severe water scarcity for at least part of the year [2] [22], and global water use has risen by about 1% a year for four decades [3]. About 739 million children live in areas of high or extremely high water scarcity [39].

The water cycle itself is shifting. 2023 was the driest year for global rivers in 33 years, and glaciers lost more than 600 gigatonnes of water, the largest loss in five decades [5]. Glacier mass loss has accelerated this century [21], and groundwater declines have accelerated in many of the world’s aquifers [20]. Groundwater supplies about half of domestic water and a quarter of irrigation [4].

Extremes carry the costs. Floods, severe storms and wildfires caused US$166 billion of the US$224 billion in natural-disaster losses in 2025 [7]. Drought is less visible in loss data, but it moves through food prices, hydropower output and public budgets. Water scarcity could cost some regions up to 6% of GDP by 2050 [35].

Governance is shared and incomplete. 153 countries share transboundary rivers, lakes or aquifers, but most do not yet have operational arrangements covering all of them [9]. The December 2026 UN Water Conference is the first chance since 2023 to set a common direction [43].

This edition therefore reads water as the coupling layer of the WEFH+B system. The matrix, risk objects, capability ladder and scenario that follow ask the same two questions: where does a water shock travel next, and who holds the capability to stop it?

FIG. 1.3 · FIG-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE-01-003How far is the world from universal water, sanitation and hygiene? People without services, 2022 (billion)
Safely managed sanitation3.5Safely managed drinking water2.2Basic hygiene2

More people lack safe sanitation than safe drinking water. All three gaps are concentrated in the same places, low-income, rural and fragile settings, so they compound each other’s health effects [1].

1.4millionWASH-attributable deaths, 2019 [38]
739millionchildren in high water scarcity [39]
≈50%of people with severe seasonal scarcity [2]
2030targetuniversal access under SDG 6 [29]

Dependency network

Twenty couplings between five systems.

The water-centred matrix types the twenty couplings between the five core systems, read for their water content. Strengths are Nexus estimates from the cited assessments and analogue events; they set the graph that basin evidence will test in 2027.

Select a system

Each line is one coupling, weighted by the strength the edition assigns. Strengths are Nexus estimates from the cited evidence and analogue events.

From (row) to (column) · ◆ ESTIMATED
WATENEFOOHLTBIO
WAT Water·STRONGhydro · thermal coolingSTRONGirrigation · rain-fed yieldSTRONGsafe water · sanitationSTRONGflows · wetlands
ENE EnergyMODERATEpumping · treatment · desalination·STRONGfuel · fertiliser · cold chainSTRONGair pollution · coolingMODERATEland use · mining
FOO FoodSTRONG≈70% of withdrawalsWEAKbioenergy feedstock·STRONGnutrition · food safetySTRONGland conversion
HLT HealthWEAKworkforceWEAKworkforceMODERATElabour · disease·WEAKresidues
BIO BiodiversitySTRONGregulation · filtrationMODERATEbiomass · hydrologySTRONGpollination · soilsMODERATEzoonoses · medicines·

Transmission paths

  1. CLI → WAT → ENEdrought lowers reservoirs and warms cooling water; hydro and thermal output fallREPORTED 2022 drought, Europe and China
  2. CLI → WAT → FOOmulti-basin drought cuts irrigated and rain-fed yieldsINFERRED 2010–2012 droughts
  3. WAT → HLTfloods contaminate supplies and spread diseaseREPORTED major floods since 2010
  4. FOO → WAT → BIOirrigation expansion depletes aquifers and river flowsREPORTED aquifer declines [20]
  5. WAT → FINflood losses fall on the uninsured and on public budgetsREPORTED 2025 losses [7]

Reinforcing loops · both directions rated strong

  1. WAT ⇄ FOOWater to food: irrigation · rain-fed yield. Food to water: ≈70% of withdrawals.ESTIMATED in 4 of 10 drafted editions
  2. WAT ⇄ BIOWater to biodiversity: flows · wetlands. Biodiversity to water: regulation · filtration.ESTIMATED in 10 of 10 drafted editions
  3. FOO ⇄ BIOFood to biodiversity: land conversion. Biodiversity to food: pollination · soils.ESTIMATED in 10 of 10 drafted editions

A shock entering either system of a loop returns amplified through the other. A causal-loop reading of the matrix (Sterman, Business Dynamics, 2000): structural, from estimated strengths, not a measured feedback.

Domain posture

Each domain read in words, not scored.

Each of the twelve coupled domains is read through water, in words, not scored. The coupling column names the dependency that carries water risk into each domain.

DomainPosture at baselineCouplingStatus
WATAccess unfinished; scarcity seasonal for half of humanity; groundwater and glaciers declining.the core systemREPORTEDEQL 4
ENEAbout 10% of withdrawals; hydropower and thermal cooling exposed to low flows and heat.WAT → ENEREPORTEDEQL 3
FOOAbout 70% of withdrawals; irrigated yields depend on groundwater and glacier-fed rivers.WAT → FOOREPORTEDEQL 4
HLT1.4 million WASH-attributable deaths in 2019; floods spread water-borne disease.WAT → HLTREPORTEDEQL 4
BIOFreshwater wildlife down 85%; wetlands down 22% since 1970.WAT ↔ BIOREPORTEDEQL 4
CLIDrier rivers, faster glacier loss and more intense extremes with warming.CLI → WATREPORTEDEQL 5
INFAgeing networks, storage and flood defences; inland shipping exposed to low water.WAT ↔ INFINFERREDEQL 3
FINFlood losses large and often uninsured; water scarcity could cost some regions up to 6% of GDP by 2050.WAT → FINREPORTEDEQL 3
DATWater monitoring data are sparse for groundwater and quality.DAT → WATEXPERT INPUTEQL 2
AICData centres add cooling-water demand; volumes not consolidated globally.AIC → WATEXPERT INPUTEQL 2
MINMining and refining use and pollute water in already stressed basins.MIN → WATINFERREDEQL 2
TRDFood trade moves “virtual water”; export restrictions follow droughts.WAT → TRDINFERREDEQL 3

Sector screens

All sixteen sectors are screened for their dependence on water, on the same grammar as every national edition. The evidence column describes coverage of the baseline evidence, not the performance of the sector.

CodeSectorBaseline evidenceExposure to watchEvidence coverage
GS-00Cross-systemwater couples all five core systems [46]multi-basin droughtPARTIAL
GS-01Wateraccess gaps; seasonal scarcity for half of humanity [1] [2]drought, flood, depletionGOOD
GS-02Energyabout 10% of withdrawals [14]low flows and hot cooling waterPARTIAL
GS-03Foodabout 70% of withdrawals [2]aquifer decline; droughtGOOD
GS-04Health1.4 million WASH deaths, 2019 [38]water-borne disease after floodsGOOD
GS-05Financeup to 6% of GDP at stake in some regions [35]uninsured flood lossesPARTIAL
GS-06Development739 million children in high scarcity [39]access gaps in fragile settingsPARTIAL
GS-07Climatedriest year for rivers in 33 years [5]glacier loss; intensifying extremesGOOD
GS-08Disasterfloods among the costliest perils [7]concurrent floods and droughtsGOOD
GS-09Infrastructureageing water networks and damsfailure and low-water navigationTHIN
GS-10Citiesurban demand rising fastestshortage and pluvial floodingPARTIAL
GS-11Biodiversityfreshwater wildlife −85% [17]flow alteration; pollutionGOOD
GS-12Earth observationsatellite gravimetry tracks storage [19]continuity of missionsPARTIAL
GS-13Cyber and digitalcontrol systems for utilitiesattacks on water systemsTHIN
GS-14Policy153 countries share basins [9]arrangements incompletePARTIAL
GS-15Sciencedeep hydrological sciencegroundwater and quality dataPARTIAL

Risk portfolio

Risk objects, read across the chain.

Four water risk objects open the portfolio. Order carries no rank. Each is read across driver, exposure, vulnerability, capacity, cascade and consequence.

INFERREDEQL 3RSK-GS01-WAT-001

Multi-basin drought

Driver
heat and low precipitation across several major basins
Exposure
hydropower, irrigated agriculture, cities
Vulnerability
low storage; over-allocated rivers
Capacity
storage, demand management, trade
Cascade
WAT → ENE, FOO → TRD
Horizon
1–3 years

REPORTEDEQL 3RSK-GS01-WAT-002

Groundwater depletion in irrigated aquifers

Driver
pumping above recharge
Exposure
irrigated food production; rural supply
Vulnerability
falling water tables; salinisation
Capacity
monitoring; allocation; managed recharge
Cascade
WAT → FOO → HLT
Horizon
5–10 years

REPORTEDEQL 4RSK-GS01-CLI-003

Riverine and urban flooding

Driver
extreme rainfall; storm surge; snowmelt
Exposure
cities, floodplains, deltas
Vulnerability
informal settlements; thin insurance
Capacity
early warning; defences; nature-based solutions
Cascade
WAT → INF, HLT, FIN
Horizon
annual

REPORTEDEQL 3RSK-GS01-CRY-004

Loss of glacier-fed summer flows

Driver
accelerating glacier mass loss [21]
Exposure
mountain-fed basins in Asia, the Andes and the Alps
Vulnerability
dependence on dry-season melt
Capacity
storage; adaptation planning
Cascade
WAT → FOO, ENE
Horizon
10 years and beyond

Capability ladder

Existence is not readiness.

Existence is not readiness. Each of the fifteen capability functions is placed on the ladder by the strongest public evidence for water at the global level.

  1. Prevention and mitigationEXISTSintegrated water management plans widespread; implementation uneven [10]
  2. Monitoring and observationADEQUATEriver and satellite storage records strong; groundwater and quality sparse [5] [19]
  3. Early warningDEMONSTRATEDflood warning in real events; 108 countries report multi-hazard systems [33]
  4. Preparedness and planningEXISTSdrought plans in many countries; few tested at scale
  5. Redundancy and reservesEXISTSreservoir and aquifer storage; strategic reserves rare
  6. ResponseDEMONSTRATEDemergency water supply after disasters
  7. Continuity of critical servicesEXISTSutility continuity plans; supply interrupted in severe events
  8. RecoveryEXISTSpost-flood reconstruction programmes
  9. AdaptationEXISTSstorage, reuse and desalination expanding
  10. Social protectionLISTEDwater-specific support for poor households rarely documented
  11. Finance and insuranceEXISTSflood cover thin in many regions; water investment below need [36]
  12. Institutional coordinationEXISTStransboundary arrangements incomplete [9]
  13. Technical infrastructureEXISTSnetworks ageing; losses from leakage widespread
  14. WorkforceLISTEDskills gaps in utilities widely reported
  15. Research capacityADEQUATEstrong hydrological science; translation uneven [12]

Ladder: LISTED, EXISTS, DEMONSTRATED, TESTED. A capability listed in policy is not a tested one; each rung is the strongest public evidence at baseline.

Scenario · SCN-GS01-MBD-01

Multi-basin drought under heat

A conditional statement under stated assumptions, never a prediction.

Assumptions

Baseline
the 2026 reference state in this edition
Drivers
a strong warm season with below-normal precipitation across several major basins in the same year
Analogues
2022 drought in Europe and China; 2010–2012 droughts
Interventions
none modelled, the specification describes the unmitigated case
Run state
narrative specification; quantified run scheduled for 2027

Cascade, step by step

  1. 1CLI → WATlow precipitation and heat cut river flows and reservoir inflow2022
  2. 2WAT → ENEhydro output falls; thermal plants curtail for hot cooling water2022
  3. 3WAT → FOOirrigation restrictions and heat cut yields2022 · 2012
  4. 4WAT → INFlow river levels restrict inland shipping2022
  5. 5WAT → HLTurban rationing; water-quality problems2018 Cape Town
  6. 6FOO → TRDexport restrictions transmit the shock2010

Multi-basin drought under heat

How the shock in scenario SCN-GS01-MBD-01 would travel through Global Water's coupled systems, step by step, under the assumptions the edition states.

Multi-basin drought under heatHow the shock in scenario SCN-GS01-MBD-01 would travel through Global Water's coupled systems, step by step, under the assumptions the edition states.

Low precipitation and heat cut river flows and reservoir inflow. Analogue or source: 2022. Edition GS-01, scenario SCN-GS01-MBD-01, step 1

The cascade of scenario SCN-GS01-MBD-01 as a playable chain of couplings, one step at a time.

A teaching model of a conditional scenario under the edition's stated assumptions: not a forecast, not a prediction and not a warning.

Sources: Global Water 2026, scenario SCN-GS01-MBD-01 (2026); Global Water 2026, references (NR-CIT-1) (2026).

Three lenses

One edition, read by each steward.

The water baseline is read through each steward’s lens, then once as a whole. Each lens is a projection of reviewed findings, not a separate argument.

GCRI · KEY T

Technical Truth

The evidence supports reading water as the coupling layer of the WEFH+B system. Access remains unfinished, scarcity is seasonal for half of humanity, and the cycle is shifting: drier rivers, faster glacier loss and declining aquifers. Evidence is strongest for access and hydrology, and weakest for groundwater and quality.

WAT-001 · WAT-004 · WAT-005 · SYS-012

GRF · KEY M

Public Meaning

For most people water risk arrives as a dry tap, a flooded street or a higher food price. The baseline asks that public debate treat water as shared infrastructure for health, food and energy, and that the 2.2 billion without safe water stay at its centre.

WAT-001 · HLT-008 · FOO-006

GRA · KEY F

Capital Meaning

Readiness implications only. Flood losses are large and often uninsured, water investment falls short of need [36], and nature-related disclosure is spreading [32]. These show where finance-readiness evidence will matter. Nothing here is advice, a rating or an approval.

CLI-010 · WAT-002

NEXUS

Nexus Synthesis

The water system is well studied and thinly governed at the scale where its risks travel. The 2027 programme should bind basin evidence, test the multi-basin drought pathway, and map groundwater dependence before it becomes a food shock.

SYS-012 · W-01 · W-02

The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation reading

Model card, Water Sector Model v0

Model ID
MDL-GS01-WATER · v0.1
Purpose
represent the global water system and its couplings to energy, food, health and biodiversity
Family
graph-based system of systems
Inputs
the cited sources of this edition; no proprietary data
Method
expert-specified coupling strengths (STRONG · MODERATE · WEAK) from assessments and analogue events
Validation
none yet, first validation against federation evidence in 2027
Uncertainty
qualitative; strengths are hypotheses, not measurements
Domain of validity
global scale; not for basin, country or asset-level use
Reproducibility
strength table and sources published in this edition
20couplingstyped in v0
11strongdocumented within one season
5moderatedocumented, buffered
4weakplausible, undocumented

2027 agenda

The questions the operational series will answer.

Eight bounded questions open the 2027 water agenda. Each comes from a baseline finding, names the initiative that will carry it and the first output due in the 2027 water edition.

  1. W-01

    How would a multi-year drought across several major basins affect hydropower, irrigated yields and urban supply at the same time?

    INI-GS01-MBD-01 · multi-basin drought · first output: concurrency analysis for six basins

  2. W-02

    Where are the major irrigated aquifers declining fastest, and how much food production depends on them?

    INI-GS01-GWT-02 · groundwater dependence · first output: aquifer–crop dependence register

  3. W-03

    How much water will data centres and the energy transition need by 2030, and where?

    INI-GS01-ENE-03 · water for energy and compute · first output: regional demand estimates

  4. W-04

    How fast are glacier-fed basins approaching peak water, and who depends on their summer flows?

    INI-GS01-CRY-04 · glacier-fed basins · first output: basin dependence map

  5. W-05

    Where do flood losses fall on the uninsured, and which capabilities reduce them?

    INI-GS01-FLD-05 · flood protection gap · first output: flood loss and cover table

  6. W-06

    Which transboundary basins lack operational arrangements where stress is rising?

    to be admitted in 2027 · first output: arrangement–stress overlay

  7. W-07

    How do water quality and wastewater gaps couple to health in fast-growing cities?

    to be admitted in 2027 · first output: scoping note

  8. W-08

    Which water capabilities have been tested in real droughts and floods, and which are only planned?

    water capability register · first output: rung evidence for 15 functions

Portfolio proposed for the Q1 2027 alignment

Five initiatives and one Universe mission candidate are proposed for the 2027 water portfolio. They are programme objects, no partner, funder or member is attached to them in this edition.

IDObjectKindQuestionState
INI-GS01-MBD-01Multi-basin drought concurrencyInitiativeW-01PROPOSED
INI-GS01-GWT-02Groundwater dependence of food productionInitiativeW-02PROPOSED
INI-GS01-ENE-03Water for energy and computeInitiativeW-03PROPOSED
INI-GS01-CRY-04Glacier-fed basin dependenceInitiativeW-04PROPOSED
INI-GS01-FLD-05Flood protection gapInitiativeW-05PROPOSED
MSN-GS01-2027-01Multi-basin drought Universe missionMissionW-01CANDIDATE

The pathway

The water edition reads national water chapters, regional basin evidence and the global edition through one governed evidence graph. At baseline the federation is designed; Canada’s and the global water chapters are issued.

  1. National water chapters

    water system of each national edition

    CANADA ISSUED · 25 further national baselines

  2. Basin and regional evidence

    shared basins and aquifers

    PLANNED · regional Baseline Editions

  3. Water sector model

    the global water system of systems

    v0 SPECIFIED · v1 with federation evidence

  4. Global and strategic links

    GLB · SR-07 food–water–energy · SR-09 boundaries

    GLB ISSUED · SR pilots in 2026–2027

  5. Nexus Universe

    annual proving environment

    CANDIDATE MISSION · mandate in 2027

  6. Global Water Report

    this series

    BASELINE ISSUED · 2027 annual edition

  7. Evidence and correction

    one graph, many projections

    OPEN · first correction cycle in 2027

System chapter

Water and energy

Energy uses water and water uses energy. Hydropower and thermal cooling make power supply sensitive to drought and heat; pumping, treatment and desalination make water supply sensitive to energy prices.

≈10%of withdrawals for energy production [14]
≈415TWhused by data centres, 2024 [13]
2022analoguedrought cut hydro and cooling in Europe and China

State at baseline

ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
Hydropoweroutput falls with low flows and storage[5] [14]REPORTED
Thermal coolingcurtailment when water is scarce or too warm[14]REPORTED
Water for computecooling demand rising; volumes not consolidated[13]EXPERT INPUT
Energy for waterpumping, treatment and desalination[14]REPORTED

Couplings

  • WAT → ENE hydro and cooling
  • ENE → WAT pumping and desalination
  • AIC → WAT data-centre cooling

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • data-centre water use by region
  • hydro exposure to multi-year drought
  • GLB Global Systems
  • GS-02 Energy
  • GS-03 Food
  • GS-04 Health
  • GS-11 Biodiversity
  • SR-07 Food–water–energy

System chapter

Water and food

Food is the largest user of water. Irrigated agriculture depends on groundwater and on glacier- and snow-fed rivers, both of which are declining in key regions.

≈70%of withdrawals for agriculture [2]
≈25%of irrigation water from groundwater [4]
673millionpeople facing hunger, 2024 [16]

State at baseline

ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
Irrigationabout 70% of withdrawals[2] [15]REPORTED
Groundwaterdeclines accelerating in many irrigated aquifers[20]REPORTED
Rain-fed yieldsexposed to drought and heat[12]REPORTED
Tradefood trade moves virtual water between basins[23]INFERRED

Couplings

  • WAT → FOO irrigation and rain-fed yields
  • FOO → WAT withdrawals and pollution
  • FOO → TRD price transmission

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • aquifer–crop dependence by region
  • concurrent drought across breadbaskets [41]
  • GLB Global Systems
  • GS-02 Energy
  • GS-03 Food
  • GS-04 Health
  • GS-11 Biodiversity
  • SR-07 Food–water–energy

System chapter

Water and health

Unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene remain a leading preventable cause of death. Floods spread disease; drought concentrates contaminants and strains hygiene.

1.4millionWASH-attributable deaths, 2019 [38]
2.0billionwithout basic hygiene, 2022 [1]
3.5billionwithout safely managed sanitation [1]

State at baseline

ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
Diarrhoeal diseasemost WASH-attributable deaths[38]REPORTED
Floodscontamination and disease after events[12]REPORTED
Droughtwater quality and hygiene strain[12]INFERRED
Health facilitiesmany lack basic water services[1]REPORTED

Couplings

  • WAT → HLT access and quality
  • CLI → WAT → HLT flood and drought
  • ENE → WAT → HLT treatment

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • water quality in fast-growing cities
  • WASH in health facilities
  • GLB Global Systems
  • GS-02 Energy
  • GS-03 Food
  • GS-04 Health
  • GS-11 Biodiversity
  • SR-07 Food–water–energy

System chapter

Water and nature

Freshwater ecosystems regulate floods, filter water and sustain fisheries, and they are declining faster than any other realm.

−85%freshwater wildlife, 1970–2020 [17]
22%of wetland area lost since 1970 [18]
2030targetrestore degraded ecosystems [30]

State at baseline

ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
Speciesfreshwater populations declining fastest[17]REPORTED
Wetlandsmore than a fifth lost since 1970[18]REPORTED
Flowsdams and withdrawals alter river regimes[12]REPORTED
Servicesflood regulation and filtration weakened[47]INFERRED

Couplings

  • BIO → WAT regulation and filtration
  • WAT → BIO flows and quality
  • FOO → WAT → BIO withdrawals

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • ecosystem condition of major rivers
  • restoration progress against 2030 targets
  • GLB Global Systems
  • GS-02 Energy
  • GS-03 Food
  • GS-04 Health
  • GS-11 Biodiversity
  • SR-07 Food–water–energy

System chapter

Water extremes and cities

Floods are among the costliest perils, and droughts strain fast-growing cities. Urban water systems sit where extremes and demand meet.

166US$ bnflood, storm and fire losses, 2025 [7]
2018analogueCape Town supply crisis
108countrieswith multi-hazard early warning, 2024 [33]

State at baseline

ComponentStateEvidenceStatus
Floodsamong the costliest and most frequent perils[7] [24]REPORTED
Urban droughtsupply crises in large cities[2]REPORTED
Early warningflood warning demonstrated in real events[33]REPORTED
Protection gapflood losses often uninsured[7]INFERRED

Couplings

  • CLI → WAT → cities
  • WAT → FIN uninsured flood losses
  • WAT → HLT after floods

Evidence to bind in 2027

  • flood loss and cover by region
  • urban drought preparedness
  • GLB Global Systems
  • GS-02 Energy
  • GS-03 Food
  • GS-04 Health
  • GS-11 Biodiversity
  • SR-07 Food–water–energy

Process

How this edition is made, released and corrected.

Press play to run the release step by step in the five pillar lanes; select a step to read it.

How one quarterly edition reaches the open record

Every edition is built from a sealed evidence cut, reviewed under three keys, signed and deposited before any site shows it as published; corrections go to Nexus Standards as change proposals and feed the next cut.

How one quarterly edition reaches the open recordEvery edition is built from a sealed evidence cut, reviewed under three keys, signed and deposited before any site shows it as published; corrections go to Nexus Standards as change proposals and feed the next cut.

Nexus Foundry seals observations and indicator series, Nexus Universe hands over after-action and scenario findings, and contributions are screened at every gateway, including this site's.

The quarterly release in the five pillar lanes: what Foundry and Universe hand to Reports, what Reports seals, reviews, signs, deposits and publishes, and what returns to Standards.

A teaching model of the process, not a forecast and not a record of any run; dates and counts on this page come from the programme record.

Sources: Nexus Reports governance at GCRI Canada (2026); Zenodo, repository of record for Nexus Reports deposits (2026).

How a contribution reaches this edition, step by step, is on the contribute page and the front page of this site. Contribute

Open science

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This edition's open record

Publication ID
NR-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0
Series alias
NR-SEC-GS-01-2026-BL
DOI
Concept and version DOI at deposit, on Zenodo with DataCite metadata
Versions
Each correction is a new version (isNewVersionOf); the concept DOI resolves to the latest
Bundle
RO-Crate 1.2 with CITATION.cff, CodeMeta and PROV-O provenance; a signed manifest
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (SPDX CC-BY-4.0) for Nexus material; metadata CC0 1.0

Credit and identity

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Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Validation, Visualization, Writing, review and editing
Account
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Find and follow

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        "affiliations": [
          {
            "id": "ROR identifier of your organisation"
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    "description": "What it is, where its record is kept and how it bears on Global Water 2026.",
    "rights": [
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    "subjects": [
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Outputs

This edition in every format, with where it came from.

What is on this site now, what ships with the signed bundle at release, and what is not recorded for this edition; then the chain the outputs come from and how to cite each one.

FormatStateWhat it isIdentifier
Web editionHTMLOn this siteDraft in stewardship review; every value resolves to its source.NR-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0
Print editionPDFAt releaseA4 portrait · screen, print and archival PDF, signed with the web edition at release.NR-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0
Indicator dataCSV · JSONOn this site18 indicators with unit, year, status and source; the machine-readable copy ships with the evidence bundle at release.NR-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE data release v1
FiguresSVG · PNGOn this site4 on the web edition: headline figure, figure 1.3, coupling instrument, capability ladder.FIG-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE-*
SlidesPDFNot recordedNo slide deck is recorded for this edition.
Evidence briefHTML · PDFNot recordedNo evidence brief is recorded for this edition.
Dataset with DOIDataCiteAt releaseConcept and version DOI are minted at deposit; none is recorded yet.

Provenance

Edition pack
data/editions/GS-01.json, the content pack the print and web editions are built from
Evidence cut
DC-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-B0, closed 30 September 2026
Reproducibility
sourced values cited; analytical values reproducible from stated parameters
Self-check
14 of 23 at evidence close; a fail on any item blocks release
Review
five passes scheduled before release
Publisher of record
GCRI for the Nexus Consortium
Corrections
Nexus Registry correction pathway; upheld corrections are published as notices with a new version

Cite it

NR-CIT-1
S. Valadbaygi (ed.), Nexus Global Water Risk & Resilience Report 2026, Baseline Edition: The State of the World’s Water System. Nexus Reports series · Global Sector Series GS-01 · Baseline Edition 2026 · v1.0.0 · GCRI for the Nexus Consortium, Toronto, 2026 · NR-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0 · DOI at deposit
Short citation
Valadbaygi (ed.), Nexus Global Water Report 2026, Baseline Edition, NR-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE.
A finding
S. Valadbaygi (ed.), Nexus Global Water Report 2026, Baseline Edition, finding NRF-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE-WAT-001, v1.0.0.
A figure
S. Valadbaygi (ed.), Nexus Global Water Report 2026, Baseline Edition, Figure n.m (FIG-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE-CH-NNN), v1.0.0.
A data table
S. Valadbaygi (ed.), Global water baseline indicator set 2026, NR-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE data release v1. GCRI, 2026.

Indicator data

Global baseline indicator set
IndicatorValueUnitYearStateSource
Without safely managed drinking water2.2billion2022REPORTED[1]
Without safely managed sanitation3.5billion2022REPORTED[1]
Without basic hygiene2.0billion2022REPORTED[1]
Severe scarcity for part of the year≈50% of peoplerecentREPORTED[2]
Growth in global water use≈1% a yearlast 40 yearsREPORTED[3]
Agriculture share of withdrawals≈70%recentREPORTED[2]
Energy share of withdrawals≈10%2014REPORTED[14]
Groundwater share of domestic use≈50%recentREPORTED[4]
Groundwater share of irrigation≈25%recentREPORTED[4]
Glacier water lost600+Gt2023REPORTED[5]
WASH-attributable deaths1.4million2019REPORTED[38]
Children in high water scarcity739million2022REPORTED[39]
Freshwater wildlife change−85%1970–2020REPORTED[17]
Wetland area lost22%since 1970REPORTED[18]
Countries sharing transboundary waters153countries2023REPORTED[9]
Flood, storm and fire losses166US$ billion2025REPORTED[7]
GDP at stake in some regionsup to 6% of GDPby 2050ESTIMATED[35]
Global mean temperature1.43°C2025REPORTED[6]

Six pillars

Where this edition sits among the six pillars.

Nexus Foundry seals the evidence and Nexus Universe tests it; Nexus Reports publishes it; Nexus Standards takes its corrections and Risk Academy teaches from it.

Global Water 2026 among the six pillarsF03 Sealed observations and indicator series: Foundry; F04 After-action and scenario findings for: Universe; F05 National Portfolio movement for chapter: Foundry; Applied in editions: Standards; GS-01 edition: Reports; F06 Method and correction findings as change: Standards; F12 Q4 synthesis informs the next-year: Universe; Taught in the open: Academy
What Foundry and Universe hand to this edition, and what it hands to Standards, Universe and Academy. From the programme spine; GS-01 is a drafted Baseline Edition, so these handoffs run from its first operational quarter.
  1. F03 Sealed observations and indicator series Foundry Sealed observations and indicator series behind a profile (closeout).
  2. F04 After-action and scenario findings for Universe After-action and scenario findings for chapters 10 and 13 (after action review).
  3. F05 National Portfolio movement for chapter Foundry National Portfolio movement for chapter 11 (after action review).
  4. Applied in editions Standards Nexus Standards: applied in editions.
  5. GS-01 edition Reports Global Water 2026, published in every format with its sources, citation and corrections.
  6. F06 Method and correction findings as change Standards Method and correction findings as change proposals (correction).
  7. F12 Q4 synthesis informs the next-year Universe Q4 synthesis informs the next-year mandate (renewal).
  8. Taught in the open Academy Risk Academy: taught in the open.
HandoffBetweenWhat crosses, and when
F03Nexus Foundry to Nexus ReportsSealed observations and indicator series behind a profile (closeout).
F04Nexus Universe to Nexus ReportsAfter-action and scenario findings for chapters 10 and 13 (after action review).
F05Nexus Foundry to Nexus ReportsNational Portfolio movement for chapter 11 (after action review).
RingNexus Standards to Nexus ReportsNexus Standards: applied in editions.
F06Nexus Reports to Nexus StandardsMethod and correction findings as change proposals (correction).
F12Nexus Reports to Nexus UniverseQ4 synthesis informs the next-year mandate (renewal).
RingNexus Reports to Risk AcademyRisk Academy: taught in the open.

Corrections log

Versions and notices.

A correction is a new version with a published notice; the earlier version stays resolvable.

0correction notices. No edition has been released yet, so none can be corrected; the log below lists each edition's current version.

EditionVersionDateStateChangeNotice
GS-01NR-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0October 2026DraftBaseline Edition 2026, inaugural annual editionNone

Notice types: erratum, addendum, supersession, withdrawal. A correction is a new version with a published notice; the earlier version stays resolvable, and no edition is ever edited in silence.

References · NR-CIT-1

47 sources this edition rests on.

  1. [1]WHO and UNICEF (eds.), Progress on Household Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene 2000–2022: Special Focus on Gender. Joint Monitoring Programme, New York and Geneva, 2023.
  2. [2]UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (ed.), The United Nations World Water Development Report 2024: Water for Prosperity and Peace. UNESCO, Paris, 2024.
  3. [3]UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (ed.), The United Nations World Water Development Report 2023: Partnerships and Cooperation for Water. UNESCO, Paris, 2023.
  4. [4]UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (ed.), The United Nations World Water Development Report 2022: Groundwater, Making the Invisible Visible. UNESCO, Paris, 2022.
  5. [5]WMO (ed.), State of Global Water Resources 2023. World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, 2024.
  6. [6]WMO (ed.), State of the Global Climate 2025, WMO-No. 1391. WMO, Geneva, March 2026.
  7. [7]Munich Re (ed.), Natural disasters in 2025: NatCatSERVICE full-year figures. Munich Re, Munich, January 2026.
  8. [8]Global Commission on the Economics of Water (ed.), The Economics of Water: Valuing the Hydrological Cycle as a Global Common Good. GCEW, Paris, 2024.
  9. [9]UNECE and UNESCO (eds.), Progress on Transboundary Water Cooperation: Global Status of SDG Indicator 6.5.2 and Acceleration Needs, 2024. United Nations, Geneva and Paris, 2024.
  10. [10]UN-Water (ed.), Blueprint for Acceleration: Sustainable Development Goal 6 Synthesis Report on Water and Sanitation 2023. United Nations, Geneva, 2023.
  11. [11]H. Lee and J. Romero (eds.), Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. IPCC, Geneva, 2023.
  12. [12]R. Caretta, A. Mukherji et al., “Water,” in H.-O. Pörtner et al. (eds.), Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, pp. 551–712. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2022.
  13. [13]International Energy Agency (ed.), Energy and AI. World Energy Outlook Special Report. IEA, Paris, 2025.
  14. [14]International Energy Agency (ed.), Water–Energy Nexus. World Energy Outlook 2016 Special Report. IEA, Paris, 2016.
  15. [15]FAO (ed.), The State of the World’s Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture 2021: Systems at Breaking Point. FAO, Rome, 2021.
  16. [16]FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO (eds.), The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025. FAO, Rome, 2025.
  17. [17]WWF (ed.), Living Planet Report 2024: A System in Peril. WWF, Gland, 2024.
  18. [18]Ramsar Convention Secretariat (ed.), Global Wetland Outlook 2025. Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Gland, 2025.
  19. [19]M. Rodell, J. S. Famiglietti, D. N. Wiese et al., “Emerging trends in global freshwater availability,” Nature, vol. 557, pp. 651–659, 2018.
  20. [20]S. Jasechko, H. Seybold, D. Perrone et al., “Rapid groundwater decline and some cases of recovery in aquifers globally,” Nature, vol. 625, pp. 715–721, 2024.
  21. [21]R. Hugonnet, R. McNabb, E. Berthier et al., “Accelerated global glacier mass loss in the early twenty-first century,” Nature, vol. 592, pp. 726–731, 2021.
  22. [22]M. M. Mekonnen and A. Y. Hoekstra, “Four billion people facing severe water scarcity,” Science Advances, vol. 2, e1500323, 2016.
  23. [23]A. Y. Hoekstra and M. M. Mekonnen, “The water footprint of humanity,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 109, pp. 3232–3237, 2012.
  24. [24]UNDRR (ed.), Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2025: Resilience Pays. UNDRR, Geneva, 2025.
  25. [25]UNDRR (ed.), Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. UNDRR, Geneva, 2015.
  26. [26]United Nations General Assembly (ed.), The human right to water and sanitation, resolution 64/292. United Nations, New York, 28 July 2010.
  27. [27]United Nations (ed.), Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses. United Nations, New York, 1997.
  28. [28]UNECE (ed.), Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. UNECE, Helsinki, 1992.
  29. [29]United Nations General Assembly (ed.), Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, resolution 70/1. United Nations, New York, 2015.
  30. [30]Convention on Biological Diversity (ed.), Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Decision 15/4. CBD Secretariat, Montreal, 2022.
  31. [31]UNFCCC (ed.), Paris Agreement. United Nations, Paris, 2015.
  32. [32]Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (ed.), Recommendations of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures. TNFD, London, 2023.
  33. [33]WMO and UNDRR (eds.), Global Status of Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems 2024. WMO and UNDRR, Geneva, 2024.
  34. [34]U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (ed.), “Reclamation announces 2022 operating conditions for Lake Powell and Lake Mead.” News release, Washington, DC, August 2021.
  35. [35]World Bank (ed.), High and Dry: Climate Change, Water, and the Economy. World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016.
  36. [36]OECD (ed.), Financing a Water Secure Future. OECD Publishing, Paris, 2022.
  37. [37]WHO (ed.), Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, 4th ed. incorporating the first and second addenda. WHO, Geneva, 2022.
  38. [38]WHO (ed.), Burden of Disease Attributable to Unsafe Drinking-water, Sanitation and Hygiene: 2019 Update. WHO, Geneva, 2023.
  39. [39]UNICEF (ed.), The Climate-Changed Child: A Children’s Climate Risk Index Supplement. UNICEF, New York, 2023.
  40. [40]J. Zscheischler, S. Westra, B. J. J. M. van den Hurk et al., “Future climate risk from compound events,” Nature Climate Change, vol. 8, pp. 469–477, 2018.
  41. [41]F. Gaupp, J. Hall, S. Hochrainer-Stigler and S. Dadson, “Changing risks of simultaneous global breadbasket failure,” Nature Climate Change, vol. 10, pp. 54–57, 2020.
  42. [42]United Nations (ed.), “2026 United Nations Water Conference.” sdgs.un.org, retrieved 2026-09-30.
  43. [43]S. Valadbaygi (ed.), Nexus Reports, The Foundational Edition, Volumes I and II. Nexus Reports series, Edition 2026–2030, V1.0. GCRI for the Nexus Consortium, Toronto, 2026.
  44. [44]S. Valadbaygi (ed.), Nexus Global Systems Risk & Resilience Report 2026, Baseline Edition. GCRI for the Nexus Consortium, Toronto, 2026. NR-GLOBAL-SYSTEMS-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0.
  45. [45]S. Valadbaygi (ed.), Nexus Canada Systems Risk & Resilience Report 2026, Baseline Edition. GCRI for the Nexus Consortium, Toronto, 2026. NR-COUNTRY-CAN-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0.
  46. [46]P. D. McElwee, P. A. Harrison, T. L. van Huysen et al. (eds.), Thematic Assessment Report on the Interlinkages among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health. IPBES secretariat, Bonn, 2024. doi:10.5281/zenodo.13850054.
  47. [47]IFRS Foundation (ed.), IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures. International Sustainability Standards Board, London, 2023.

Publication record

Who publishes it, on which terms.

Publication

Title
Nexus Global Water Risk & Resilience Report 2026, Baseline Edition
Series
Nexus Reports · Global Sector Series GS-01
Edition
Baseline Edition 2026 · inaugural annual
Version
v1.0.0 · draft for stewardship review
Publication ID
NR-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0
Evidence close
30 September 2026
Publication date
October 2026
DOI
concept and version DOI at deposit

Publisher

Publisher of record
The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI), for the Nexus Consortium
Place
Toronto
Editor
Saeed Valadbaygi, Chief Steward and Managing Editor
Stewards
GCRI · technical truth · GRF · public meaning · GRA · capital meaning
Licence
text CC BY 4.0; data on the terms of each source
Copyright
© 2026 GCRI · Nexus Consortium
Language
English (en-GB) source edition
Correspondence
Nexus Registry correction pathway · editorial office

Colophon

Format
A4 portrait · __PAGES__ pages · screen, print and archival PDF
Typefaces
Space Grotesk (display) · Geist (text) · IBM Plex Sans Italic (standfirsts) · IBM Plex Mono (data)
Design standard
Nexus Reports Foundational Edition, Volume I, Part VII
Accessibility
tagged PDF and HTML targets; text alternatives for every figure
Production
Nexus Reports editorial team, GCRI

Release path for this version

Release path for this version

StepWhat happensWhen
Drafteditorial self-check complete at evidence closeOctober 2026
Steward reviewfive passes on the exact draft (keys T · M · F · N)Q4 2026
Approvalpublication authority approves the exact digestbefore release
Depositconcept and version DOI minted; registry pointer setat release
Successionthe 2027 water edition reports changes against this baseline2027
Current version
v1.0.0 draft, stewardship review
Previous edition
none, first edition of the series
Next edition
NR-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2027-v1.0.0
Latest version
resolve the concept DOI or the registry record
Correction route
Nexus Registry correction pathway
Notice types
erratum · addendum · supersession · withdrawal
Nexus ReportsNR-SECTOR-WATER-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE-v1.0.0Evidence close 30 September 2026GCRI for the Nexus Consortium, publisher of recordThe Global Centre for Risk and Innovation
Nexus signature

The nexus behind Global Water.

A reading aid: the sectors the findings run through and how strongly they depend on each other.

Select corners · hover lines6 / 15 relations

Signature

Water and its partners

Water gives irrigation to food (0.8), cooling water and hydropower to energy (0.6) and environmental flows to biodiversity (0.6).

W · E · I · F · H · B

Sectors
4 of 6
Relations
6 of 15
Coupling
0.43 share of total

Strongest relations in play

  • Food → Biodiversity · land conversion0.6
  • Water → Energy · cooling water and hydropower0.6
  • Water → Food · irrigation0.8
  • Water → Biodiversity · environmental flows0.6
Teaching values for a typical city-region, not measurements for any place. Coupling is the summed strength of the relations in play, as a share of all fifteen.
Have questions?