The Earth’s Water Supply
Of all the water on Earth, only a small percentage is drinkable, fresh water.
One estimate of global water distribution. (Percentages are rounded, so will not add to 100)
| Water Source | Percent of fresh water | Percent of total water |
| Oceans, seas & bays | – | 96.5 |
| Ice caps, glaciers & permanent snow | 68.7 | 1.74 |
| Groundwater | – | 1.69 |
| fresh | 30.1 | 0.76 |
| saline | – | 0.93 |
| Soil moisture | 0.05 | 0.001 |
| Ground ice and permafrost | 0.86 | 0.022 |
| Lakes | – | 0.013 |
| fresh | 0.26 | 0.007 |
| saline | – | 0.006 |
| Atmosphere | 0.04 | 0.001 |
| Swamp water | 0.03 | 0.0008 |
| Rivers | 0.006 | 0.0002 |
| Biological water | 0.003 | 0.0001 |
Source: Igor Shiklomanov’s chapter “World fresh water resources” in Peter H. Gleick (editor), 1993, Water in Crisis: A Guide to the World’s Fresh Water Resources (Oxford University Press, New York)
