UN Warns 2025 Was Among the Driest Years for Rivers in 35 Years

UN Warns 2025 Was Among the Driest Years for Rivers in 35 Years
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The United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned of worsening global water shortages, reporting that 2025 was among the driest years for river flows in the past 35 years. Climate change, accelerating glacier melt and declining freshwater reserves are placing increasing pressure on water resources worldwide.

According to the WMO’s latest global water resources report, water storage on land—including groundwater, glaciers, snow, soil moisture and lakes—has been declining for nearly a decade. Around two-thirds of monitored groundwater wells recorded levels outside their normal range in 2025, while river flows were below average across 36% of the world’s river basins.

Glaciers lost approximately 408 billion tonnes of ice in 2025, bringing total losses for 2023–2025 to around 1.4 trillion tonnes. The WMO also warned that some regions are approaching “peak water,” when meltwater flows reach their maximum before declining as glaciers shrink.

Although some areas of South America and central and southern Africa recorded limited improvements in water storage, the agency called for urgent international action, including stronger monitoring and early-warning systems, improved cross-border data sharing and more sustainable water management to protect freshwater supplies for future generations.