A new study published in the journal Nature on 28 October reveals where Africa's water is going and provides new data to help governments plan for a water-stressed future. The study provides one of the most comprehensive pictures yet of where Africa is using water and what it is being used for. Researchers from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the University of Groningen (IREES) conclude that Africa's water demand rises 26 percent in a decade as pressure on vital resources grows.
Understanding whether water demands can be met requires a detailed assessment of water availability and usage. In Africa, water availability differs across the continent, and demand is unmet in many regions. However, the variation in supply and demand is not well characterized, which can make it difficult to implement informed water management decisions. To address the lack of data, the study produced a detailed Africa wide estimate of water demand for 2020.
Total water demand
Six sectors were included: municipal, irrigation, livestock, manufacturing (including subsectors such as food, clothing and industrial materials), power plants and mining. Data were collected across 49 countries from national statistics, from records from more than 450 water companies, 2,534 power plants and 682 mines, and from maps of crops and livestock. The IREES researchers Santiago Vaca-Jiménez and Winnie Gerbens-Leenes contributed the inventory of water for electricity mapping the location of the African power plants and their water use. The estimated total annual water demand for 2020 was around 347 km³ of water, compared with around 274 km³ in 2010. Irrigation accounted for 65% of the demand, followed by household and city supply (17%), electricity (10%), and manufacturing, livestock, and mining accounting for the remaining demand.
Major gaps
The new study provides a comprehensive map for water demand in different sectors, highlighting issues that need to be addressed to increase the availability of water in Africa, which forms part of Sustainable Development Goals. Between 2010 and 2020, the increase in water demand for Africa was 26 percent, yet around 717 million people lacked a piped water supply in 2020. The findings indicate that water scarcity in some parts of Africa may be due to a lack of infrastructure, rather than a lack of available water.
'Africa cannot manage what it cannot see', conclude University of Groningen (IREES) scientists Santiago Vaca-Jiménez and Winnie Gerbens-Leenes. 'For too long, major gaps in reliable water data have made it difficult to understand where pressure is building and how different demands are competing for the same resource.'
Reference: Davy Vanham et al, Spatial and sectoral water demand assessment for the African continent , Nature, 28 October 2026.
