The pie charts illustrate global distribution of water and the bar chart compares the percentage of water allocated to three sectors in three nations. It is obvious that the overwhelming majority of water worldwide is salt water, while fresh water is mainly stored in ice and glaciers. In terms of water use, Egypt and Saudi Arabia allocate the biggest share of water to the agricultural sector, whereas Canada shows a different pattern, with industry being the dominant user.
Regarding global distribution, 97% of the world’s water belongs to salt water, leaving only 3% as fresh water. Of this minority share, roughly four-fifths of fresh water is locked in ice and glaciers, four times higher than ground water’s 20% while surface water contributes just 1%.
In terms of water use, Egypt and Saudi Arabia display a similar pattern, as most water in their countries is allocated to agriculture, at almost 80%. The remaining 20% is split between domestic and industry purposes, with nearly 12% of water going to domestic use, marginally higher than that of the industrial sector. Canada, however, relies heavily on industry as nearly four-fifths of the water is devoted to this sector. Agricultural and domestic use a disproportionately lower amount of water, with just 10% each.