The figures illustrate the proportions of water consumed for industrial, agricultural and domestic uses by six areas of the world.
Overall, agriculture consumes the largest amount of water in most regions, apart from North America and Europe, which are the most developed parts of the world.
A significant proportion of water has been used for agricultural purposes in South America, Africa, Central Asia and South East Asia, constituting at least 71% of their total consumption. Central Asia has the most disproportionate water usage ratio, where 88% of the water is used for agriculture, with industrial usage occupying a mere 5%. Contrarily, South America spends a relatively higher proportion of water for industrial and domestic uses in this group, at 10% and 19% respectively.
However, in North America and Europe, industrial use constitutes the largest area of water usage, with agricultural usage being less than 40%. Europe spends 53% of its water on industrial production, slightly higher than that in North America (48%). Agriculture consumes less than 40% of water in these two regions.