The UN has estimated the daily water requirement for one person at 50 litres. This is the amount of water needed for cooking food, drinking, personal hygiene, etc. With 50 litres per day, it is possible to lead a healthy life. For political reasons, this figure has been reduced to 37 litres.
However, many people in Africa have to make do with 20 litres of water per day.. That is the amount of water we use in 1.5 minutes when showering.
In Germany, water consumption per person is around 120 litres per day. About one third of this is used for flushing the toilet, one third for personal hygiene and another third for washing clothes, washing dishes, cooking and drinking. We need about 5 litres per day for cooking and drinking.
Water Consumtion in Africa
In Africa, around 85% of water is used for agriculture. Households only need 10% of the water and industry only 5%. As the population continues to grow, more and more water is needed for agriculture in absolute terms.
Water consumption in billion m³ per sector and region per year
| Region Sector | Africa | Asia and Pazific | Europe | Latin America |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 182.5 | 1,848.0 | 149.1 | 187.5 |
| Households | 21.3 | 161.3 | 67.9 | 51.2 |
| Industry | 917 | 259.4 | 203.1 | 27.5 |
| total | 213.5 | 2,268.7 | 420.1 | 266.2 |
data source: FAO
Water Consumption in % per sector and region
| Region sector | Africa | Asia and Pazific | Europe | Latin America |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 85% | 81% | 35% | 70% |
| Households | 10% | 7% | 16% | 19% |
| Industry | 5% | 11% | 48% | 10% |
data source: FAO
