unescoUNWATERTheUnitedNationsWorldWaterDevelopmentReport2022GROUNDWATERMaking the invisible visibleunescoUNESCALNECLAunescoUNSHARITAT TheUnitedNationsWorldWaterDevelopmentReport2022GROUNDWATERMaking the invisible visible Published in 2022 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP; France UNESC0 2022This report is published by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water. The list of UN-Water Members and Partners can be foundon the following website: www.unwater.org-ISBN 978-92-3-100507-700BYSAThis publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) license(creativecornmons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to bebound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (www.unesco.org/open-access/terms-use-ccbysa-en).The present license applies exclusively to the text content of the publication. For the use of any material not clearlyidentified as belonging to UNESCO, prior permission shall be requested from the copyright owner.of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Similarly, boundaries and names shownand the designation used on the maps do not imply officisl endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those ofUNESCO and do not commit the Organization. The contents were contributed by the UN-Water Members andPartners, and others listed on the title pages of the chapters therein. UNESCO and the UNESCO World waterAssessment Programme (wWAP) are not responsible for errors in the content provided or for discrepancies in dataand content between contributed chapters. wwAP provided the opportunity for individuals to be listed as authors andChapter 4 and Section 8.1 contain British Geological Survey material @ UKRI 2022Section 8.2 by Annukka Lipponen, Sonja Koeppel and Sarah Tiefenauer-Linardon @ 2022 United Nations.Chapter 12 by Annukka Lipponen, Sonja Koeppel and Sarah Tiefenauer-Linardon @ 2022 United Nations.Chapter 13: Financing for sustainability by International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank.Suggested citation:United Nations, The United Nations World Water Development Report 2022: Groundwater: Making the invisible visible.UNESCO, Paris.Cover artwork by Davide BonazziGraphic design and layout by Marco Tonsini.Printed by UNESCO, Paris.Printed in France.This publication is printed on 100% recycled, chlorine-free paperClimate neutralProductionClndteParthwr.c0n/12055-2002-1001 SHORTSUMMARYThevastpotentialofgroundwaterandtheneedtomanage it sustainably can no longerbe overlookedAccounting for approximately 99% of alliquid freshwater on Earth, groundwater hasthe potential to provide societies with tremendous social, economic and environmentalbenefits and opportunities. Groundwater already provides half of the volume of waterwithdrawn for domestic use by the global population, including the drinking water forthe vast majority of the rural population who donot get their water delivered to them via publicor private supply systems, and around 25% of allwater withdrawn for irrigation. However, this naturalGroundwaterresource is often poorly understood, and consequentlyaccountsforundervalued, mismanaged and even abused.approximatelyGroundwater is central to the fight against poverty,99%to food and water security, to the creation of decentjobs, to socio-economic development, and to theof all liquid freshwaterresilience of societies and economies to climatechange. Reliance on groundwater will only increase,on Earthmainly due to growing water demand by all sectorscombined with increasing variation in rainfall patterns.The report describes the challenges and opportunities associated with the development,management and governance of groundwater across the world. t aims to establish aclear understanding of the role that groundwater plays in daily life, of its interactions withpeople, and of the opportunities for optimizing its use in order to ensure the long-termsustainability of this largely available yet fragile resource.Unlocking the full potential of groundwater will require strong and concerted efforts tomanage and use it sustainably. And it all starts by making the invisible visible.TIHIunescoUNWATER"Since wars begin in the minds of men andwomen itis in the minds of men and womenthat the defences of peace must beconstructed" ForewordbyAudreyAzoulay,Director-GeneralofUNESCoVllForeword byGilbertF.Houngbo, Chairof UN-Waterand Presidentof IFADPrefaceWWDR2022TeamAcknowledgementsExecutivesummarnPrologue StateofgroundwaterresourcesFreshwatervolumesFreshwaterrenewalFreshwaterwithdrawal,waterstressandwaterscarcitGroundwaterwithdrawalanduseChapter1 Introduction1.3 Aquifers, their main characteristics and the groundwater resources they contain..1.4 Brief history of groundwater development..301.6Glob