Press Statement
World Data Lab and GIZ Launch the Water Crisis Clock
Vienna, March 20th, 2025 –World Data Lab (WDL), in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), are thrilled to announce the launch of the Water Crisis Clock (WCC) a groundbreaking interactive platform visualising the urgent issue of water scarcity which
remains one of the most pressing challenges of our time. According to the United Nations World Water Development Report of 2024, 2.2 billion people were without access to clean drinking water in 2022, and 3.5 billion lack safe sanitation services. Targets related to water stress and scarcity, ambient water quality, and water-related ecosystems are particularly underrepresented. The WCC has been developed to provide comprehensive insights into past trends and future projections of water scarcity worldwide.
The Launch of the WCC took place online on March 20 in the run-up to the World Water Day. The Webinar provided a platform to showcase key insights of the WCC on water scarcity, biodiversity loss and water surface area changes over time and emphasised the importance of the WCC for use by researchers, policy makers and the general public.
Mario Lootz-Petersen, Senior Policy Officer with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in his opening remarks at the Webinar, highlighted that—
“The climate crisis is also a water crisis. Therefore, we support our partner countries in
sustainable water management to promote climate resilience, biodiversity, and a sustainable
development overall. The Water Crisis Clock provides essential data to improve decision-
making in the fields of water, climate and biodiversity.”
Matthew Cooper, VP of Data at WDL, provided a presentation introducing and showcasing key insights from the WCC.
A panel discussion moderated by Dr Reshma Sheoraj, VP of Strategic Engagements with WDL, provided a platform to share perspectives on the critical issue of water scarcity, and the importance of data-based evidence for the development and implementation of effective strategies and programmes on the sustainable use of water resources. In addition, GIZ programmes working on water security were showcased, and are also highlighted as case studies on the WCC.
The participants in the panel discussion were:
● Marlen Bruentrup, Component Leader, Integrated Water Catchment Management and Landscape Protection in Zambia (AWARE 2.0), GIZ Zambia
● Dr. Peter Burek, Senior Research Scholar, IIASA
● Juliana Turjman, Advisor: Supporting Participatory Resource Management to Stabilise the Situation in Host Communities (PRM), GIZ Jordan
● Matthew Cooper, VP of Data, WDL.
In concluding remarks, Fanni Zentai, Component Leader for the Sector Programme Water and Sanitation Policy (InnoBlue) GIZ provided a call for co-ordinated action:
“To successfully tackle water-related challenges, we need to step up our efforts and better
coordinate and align our actions towards integrated approaches. The Water Crisis Clock is a
valuable tool to highlight the urgency of the water crisis and support the mobilisation of
resources for cross-sectoral solutions along the water-climate-biodiversity nexus.”
What the Water Crisis Clock Offers:
● The WCC provides a global overview of trends in water scarcity, biodiversity loss, and changes in water surface area. It provides projections up to 2050 in respect of how water scarcity, and projections up to 2030 in respect of how changes in biodiversity and water surface area will evolve over time.
● Country-Level Visualisations of water scarcity and ecosystem pressures worldwide are provided for 207 countries and territories.
● 11 case studies are highlighted, which explain the regional differences in the mapped challenges and offer solutions that are provided by GIZ projects under six programmatic themes of Transboundary Water Management, Integrated Water Resources Management, Protection and Restoration of Ecosystems, Water and Peace; Water-Energy Food Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus), and Climate Resilience.
Key Insights from the WCC
● The WCC highlights that water scarcity is a critical issue that is facing humanity, with 40% of people living in water scarce areas. Over 3.2 billion people live in water scarce areas in 2020, with this number estimated to increase to 3.5 billion in 2030. Increasing water usage is also a serious concern that must be addressed, as the past century has seen water use grow at more than twice the rate of global population increase, across all sectors.
● For each country and territory on the WCC, the driest month for that country or territory is indicated. For most countries, the driest months are February, August or September. Djibouti is the only country where the driest month is December.
● The biodiversity layer of the WCC draws attention to the devastating state of freshwater biodiversity, since the decline of freshwater ecosystem species populations (86% since 1970) is the highest of all ecosystem types. The proportion of freshwater biodiversity that is threatened with extinction is projected to significantly increase between 2020 and 2030 in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. In 2020, 21% of freshwater species were threatened by extinction, which has risen to 25% in 2025, and will increase further to 27% In 2030, South America and Asia will be the continents with the highest share of threatened species, while Europe and North America will have the lowest share.
● The freshwater surface layer of the WCC reveals how overall surface areas are changing. Since 2000, 96% of wetlands have changed size, which will increase to just under 100% in 2030. An example of the greatest extent of change is Qatar, whose wetlands have decreased in size by 53% since 2000 – a number that is projected to increase to 70% by 2030.
“The WCC serves as a tool for action, providing data-driven insights to inform policies, drive
sustainable water management, and protect the most vulnerable populations. With nearly one-quarter
of humanity lacking access to clean drinking water and freshwater ecosystems under increasing
pressure, we must act now. By leveraging real-time data and predictive analytics, we can transform
awareness into meaningful solutions, ensuring that future generations inherit a world where water is
accessible, protected, and equitably shared” Dr. Reshma Sheoraj (VP: Strategic Engagements: WDL)
ENDS
The Core Area Strategy Report by the BMZ on Conserving nature and natural resources,
protecting life on Earth sets out the approach being adopted in relation to the “Water” and
“Biodiversity” areas of intervention, which informs the support that has been provided for the
development of the WCC.
A recording of the Webinar and the presentation that was made introducing the WCC are
available.
About World Data Lab
World Data Lab (WDL) has a mission to create public goods that bring clarity to – and
heighten the visibility of – some of the most complex challenges of our time, including the
development of datasets and tools that track United Nations SDGs in real-time. To date, this
includes tracking poverty, hunger, water scarcity, gender, health, and internet access in
close cooperation with leading global organisations and governments. By combining new
data sources with groundbreaking modeling methods, WDL assists the public, governments,
and other organisations in making data-driven decisions to solve the world’s biggest
challenges. These tools are developed as part of our mission to democratise data and make
it accessible and actionable for everyone. In short, making everyone count.
About GIZ
GIZ seeks to promote sustainable development for a liveable future. As a service provider in
the field of international cooperation for sustainable development and international education
work, GIZ is dedicated to shaping a future worth living around the world. GIZ has over 50
years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and
employment promotion, energy and the environment, and peace and security. The diverse
expertise of its federal enterprise is in demand around the globe – from the German
Government, European Union institutions, the United Nations, the private sector, and
governments of other countries. GIZ works with businesses, civil society actors and research
institutions, fostering successful interaction between development policy and other policy
fields and areas of activity. Its main commissioning party is the German Federal Ministry for
Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
For media inquiries, please contact:
Anne Mason, World Data Lab:
[email protected]
Fanni Zantai, Component Leader, SV InnoBlue, GIZ
[email protected]