Water scarcity is a problem many of us associate with countries typically hit by drought. But as populations grow, temperatures rise, and water demand increases, water supplies start to get depleted, even in places where this was not necessarily a problem historically.
According to the United Nations, more than 2.2 billion people still lack access to safely managed drinking water, and recent research suggests that number may be as high as 4.4 billion—over half the world’s population. In fact, nearly six out of every ten people now live in countries classified as water-insecure, where reliable, safe water is not consistently available.
Water scarcity is no longer a distant concern—it’s a growing threat affecting millions each day. Click through to explore the cities around the world that are running out of water.