Band 8+: The charts below show how water was used in different countries in 2000. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting on the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The charts illustrate the distribution of water usage worldwide and in four countries – China, India, Canada, and New Zealand – in the year 2000.

Overall, agriculture accounted for the largest proportion of water consumption globally, a pattern that was also evident in China and India. In contrast, Canada primarily used water for industrial purposes, while New Zealand showed a more balanced distribution, with domestic use being the largest category.

Globally, 70% of water was used for agriculture, while industry and domestic use accounted for 22% and 8% respectively. China displayed a very similar pattern, with 69% of its water used for agriculture, 22% for industry, and 9% for domestic purposes.

In contrast, Canada’s water usage was dominated by industry, which made up 80% of total consumption. The remaining water was used for domestic (12%) and agricultural (8%) purposes.

India had the highest proportion of water used for agriculture, at 92%, which was more than double that of New Zealand (44%). Meanwhile, New Zealand allocated the largest share of water to domestic use (46%), followed by agriculture and industry at 44% and 10% respectively. By comparison, India used only 5% of its water for domestic purposes and just 3% for industry.