This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Rivers across the globe in 2025 had one of the driest years in more than three decades, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It shows a continuation of the long-term decline in Earth's freshwater storage and glacier retreat—trends with serious implications for people and economies in the future.
The WMO State of Global Water Resources Report shows that the water cycle has become more erratic and unpredictable, swinging between too little and too much. The past seven years have seen the fewest rivers with "normal" flows since 1991. Asia and Africa together accounted for at least half of all recorded water-related extreme events and more than 80% of reported associated deaths over the past five years, it says.
The report provides a comprehensive, science-based assessment of the entire water cycle, including river discharge, groundwater, evapotranspiration, land water storage, snow and ice, as well as high-impact events. It covers 2025 and summarizes findings from the past five years, since it was first published. "Some parts of this cycle are fast—such as precipitation, river flow and soil moisture—and respond to weather within days or weeks.
Others, like groundwater, glaciers and seasonal snowpack, are slow; they accumulate or deplete over seasons, decades or longer. Traditionally, these slow reserves have acted as the planet's savings account: a buffer that absorbs bad years so that a single drought or dry season does not translate directly into a water crisis," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. "We are depleting that savings account.
Global terrestrial water storage has shown a declining trend since 2014–2016—a persistent, decade-long signal. For the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass. Groundwater tells a similar story: Nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showed conditions outside the historical norm in 2025, and the balance shifted further toward deficit compared with 2024, not toward recovery," Saulo said.
"At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters. The strengthening El Niño will increase the risk of drought in some areas and flooding in others," she said. The report highlights some major areas of concern.
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