THE INDEX OF WATER SECURITYFOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC ASIAN WATERDEVELOPMENTOUTLOOK 2025 THE INDEX OF WATER SECURITYFOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO) © 2025 Asian Development Bank6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City, 1550 Metro Manila, PhilippinesTel +63 2 8632 4444; Fax +63 2 8636 2444www.adb.org Some rights reserved. Published in December 2025. ISBN 978-92-9277-536-0 (print); 978-92-9277-537-7 (PDF); 978-92-9277-538-4 (e-book)Publication Stock No. SGP250481-2DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22617/SGP250481-2 The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence oftheir use. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers does not imply that they are endorsed or recommendedby ADB in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area in this document, ADB does not intend to makeany judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area This publication is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/. By using the content of this publication, you agree to be bound by the terms of thislicense. For attribution, translations, adaptations, and permissions, please read the provisions and terms of use at https://www.adb.org/terms-use#openaccess. This CC license does not apply to non-ADB copyright materials in this publication. If the material is attributed to another source,please contact the copyright owner or publisher of that source for permission to reproduce it.ADB cannot be held liable for any claims that arise as a result of your use of the material. Please contact pubsmarketing@adb.org if you have questions or comments with respect to content, or if you wish to obtain copyrightpermission for your intended use that does not fall within these terms, or for permission to use the ADB logo. Corrigenda to ADB publications may be found at http://www.adb.org/publications/corrigenda. Notes: In this publication, “$” refers to United States dollar.ADB recognizes “China” as the People’s Republic of China, “South Korea” as the Republic of Korea,“Kyrgyzstan” as the Kyrgyz Republic, “Laos” as the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, and “Vietnam” as Viet Nam.ADB placed its regular assistance to Afghanistan on hold effective 15 August 2021.ADB placed a temporary hold on sovereign project disbursements and new contracts in Myanmar, effective 1 February 2021..Photos are by ADB, unless otherwise indicated. Cover design by Clickable Impact. Village woman collectingdrinking water from anArsenic Free Tubewell, Narail(Photo by ADB). ONTCONTENTS 1Introduction - The AsianWater DevelopmentOutlook 20252History and Background3Asian Water Development Outlook2025 Methodology5Interpreting and Using Asian WaterDevelopment Outlook 202510Outline of the Report11 Tables, Figures, and BoxesviAbbreviationsxGlossaryxiiContributors and PartnersxviMessagesxviiiExecutive Summaryxxii 2Key DimensionReports14 3ThematicDeep Dives Key Dimension 1:Rural Household Water Security15Key Dimension 2:Economic Water Security44Key Dimension 3:Urban Water Security63Key Dimension 4:Environmental Water Security90Key Dimension 5:Water-Related Disaster Security115 Water Investment Needsin Asia and the Pacific141 Changes to the Stateof the Cryosphere andthe Impacts on Water Security Unseen Impacts:Gendered Dimensionsof Heat and Water Stress169 Water Governance forEnhanced Water Securityin the Context of SDG 6179 4Country And RegionalAssessments190 5Introduction and Methodology191Bangladesh Country Assessment193Cambodia Country Assessment203Nepal Country Assessment213Pakistan Country Assessment223Tajikistan Country Assessment233Pacific Regional Study243 Conclusions254 Quantitative ResultsAcross All Key Dimensions255Findings from Asian WaterDevelopment Outlook 2025263Directions for Asian WaterDevelopment Outlook265 Tables, Figures, and Boxes Tables E1.National Water Security Index Score Changes (2013–2025)xxviiiE2.Number of Projects and Economies Considered in the Correlation Analysisxl1.Water Security Step Descriptions72.Top Performers on KD1183.Narrative Description of the Steps and Corresponding KD1 Scores204.KD1 Indicator Scores by Year in Central and West Asia (2013–2025)345.KD1 Indicator Scores by Year in East Asia (2013–2025)356.KD1 Indicator Scores by Year in the Pacific (2013–2025)367.KD1 Indicator Scores by Year in South Asia (2013–2025)378.KD1 Indicator Scores by Year in Southeast Asia (2013–2025)389.Top Performers on KD24610.Narrative Description of the Steps and Corresponding KD2 Scores4911.Top Perf