Pakistan’s per capita water availability falls 80% since independence, UN reports find

Pakistan’s annual per capita water availability has declined by around 80% since independence in 1947, while 55% of the population remains without access to safely managed drinking water, according to three United Nations reports. 

The reports, issued by UNESCO, the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), highlighted growing water stress, inadequate sanitation services, and a widening financing gap in the water and sanitation sector.

The findings were presented at an event in Islamabad organised as part of the extended World Water Day celebrations.

Federal Minister for Water Resources Mian Muhammad Mueen Wattoo said annual freshwater availability per person had fallen from more than 5,000 cubic metres at the time of independence to less than 1,000 cubic metres.

The decline comes as Pakistan faces increasing pressure on water resources due to rapid population growth and climate change, while available investment remains insufficient to meet the country’s water and sanitation requirements.

The United Nations World Water Development Report 2026 found that Pakistan continues to face difficulties in providing safe drinking water and sanitation services across the country.

Estimates by WHO and UNICEF show that around 55% of Pakistan’s population does not have access to safely managed drinking water services.

The situation is also difficult in rural areas, where more than 58% of the population lacks access to safely managed sanitation facilities.

The reports said Pakistan would require greater financial resources and sustained investment to improve water supply, sanitation infrastructure and management of shrinking freshwater resources.