Prosperous countries have not lived up to their promises to help the poor, the UN declared, saying poor people often go hungry because of polluted water, drought and other environmental factors that are increasing poverty.

the increased use of water is truly impressive, and the difference between consumption and Withdrawal will increase over time. The agricultural sector is the sector that consumes the most water today and probably in the future.

Freshwater use by continents is partly based on several socio-economic development factors, including population, physiographic, and climatic characteristics. Analysis indicates that:

- Annual global freshwater withdrawal has grown from 3,790 km3 (of which consumption accounted for 2,070 km3 or 61%) in 1995, to 4,430 km3 (of which consumption accounted for 2,304 km3 or 52%) in 2000 (Shiklomanov, 1999).

States that collect the most water are those where irrigated agriculture is very important. There are currently 280 million hectares irrigated worldwide, against 190 in 1980. Irrigated agriculture is responsible for 95% of freshwater withdrawals in some developing countries. Looking at the share of renewable resources withdrawn for agriculture, there are clear differences. In some areas, the resource is not mobilized, including where agricultural use is overwhelmingly dominant, either due to low population density or poor management of the resource.