Launch of WMO State of Global Water Resources Report 2024

This is one of WMO’s flagship reports to meet the growing global demand for science-based evidence to inform decision-making. It is an authoritative, independent and comprehensive assessment of the world’s water resources and the hydrological cycle. I am pleased to say that this report has gained widespread endorsement from WMO Members and international partners. 

As we all know. Water brings life. 

It sustains our societies, our economies and our ecosystems. But it also brings death.

The world’s water resources are under pressure from growing demand. At the same time, we are seeing more water-related hazards.

The new WMO report shows quite clearly that the water cycle has become increasingly erratic and extreme. It swings between deluge and drought, between too much and too little. This has cascading impacts on infrastructure, agriculture, energy, health and economic activities. 

The report provides insights into freshwater availability. This includes streamflow, reservoirs, lakes, groundwater, soil moisture, snow and ice.  It is based on data contributed by WMO Members, from hydrological modelling systems and satellite observations. 

I extend my deepest gratitude to the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, data centres, researchers and institutions that provided inputs.

You will shortly be given more details about the report. 

But here I would like to give you some highlights. Let us remind ourselves that 2024 was the hottest year on record and was – on the whole - a dry year. But we saw many floods.

Rivers: Only about one-third of the global river basins had “normal” conditions in 2024. The rest were either above or below average – the sixth consecutive year of clear imbalance. The abnormal is the new normal. 

Glaciers: 2024 was the third straight year with widespread glacier loss across all regions. Glaciers lost 450 Gigatonnes. This is the equivalent of 180 million Olympic swimming pools. Enough to add about 1.2 millimetres to global sea level – increasing the risk of floods for hundreds of millions of people on the coast.

Extreme events: The Amazon Basin and other parts of South America, as well as southern Africa were gripped by severe drought. It was very wet in central, western and eastern Africa, parts of Asia and Central Europe. 

El Niño, at the start of 2024, played a role. But scientific evidence also shows that rising temperatures are accompanied by more extremes – both drought and floods. 

Unfortunately, water-related hazards continue to cause major devastation this year. The latest examples are the devastating monsoon flooding in Pakistan and Southeast Asia, as well as parts of Africa. And unfortunately, we see no end to this trend.

The State of the Global Water Resources report is more necessary than ever. It is bigger and better than in previous years. And I am confident that it will expand further in the years ahead as more partners contribute. 

The report highlights the critical need for more investment, international collaboration, improved monitoring and data sharing. These are core principles which have guided WMO throughout the 75 years of our existence. 

At WMO we have always said – and we continue to say - that we cannot manage what we do not measure. Without data we risk flying blind. 

The State of Global Water Resources report is one of a suite of products which provide decision-makers with the intelligence and insights needed to make informed, forward-looking decisions. 

It supports vital global initiatives, including the Early Warnings for All campaign and the Sustainable Development Goals.

To conclude: WMO remains committed to providing the science and the data to inform action to build safer, more resilient communities and to protect the health of our economies and our planet. 

I thank you.