The charts illustrate the percentage of water used for various purposes in six regions of the world.
Overall, there are three sectors in which water is utilized. Agricultural use accounts for the majority in four out of the six regions. Among the other two purposes, industrial usage is highest in two areas, while in the remaining regions, there is a close competition between domestic and industrial usage.
In the four areas where the majority of water is allocated for agricultural purposes, it can be said that these regions are largely dependent on agriculture. Central Asia has the highest percentage at 88%. The other two regions exceeding 80% are Africa and Southeast Asia, with percentages of 84% and 81% respectively. The lowest percentage is found in South America, which stands at 71%.
Regarding the other two sectors, industrial usage accounts for 53% in Europe and nearly half of the total in North America. Southeast Asia also has significant industrial usage at 12%. For domestic use, the percentages are higher in South America and Africa at 19% and 9% respectively. The lowest amount of industrial use is 5% in Central Asia, while domestic use is at 7% in both Central Asia and Southeast Asia.