Water scarcity conditions in Europe (Water Exploitation Index plus)

Water scarcity affected 29% of the EU territory during at least one season in 2019. Despite water abstraction declining by 15% in the EU between 2000 and 2019, there has been no overall reduction in the area affected by water scarcity conditions. In fact, since 2010 there has been a worsening of the situation. This, compounded with the fact that climate change is expected to further increase the frequency, intensity and impacts of drought events, makes it unlikely that water scarcity will reduce by 2030. Additional effort is needed to ensure sustainable water use.

Water scarcity is determined primarily by (1) water demand and consumption, which largely depend on population and type of socio-economic activities; (2) climatic conditions, which control water availability and seasonality of supply; and (3) landscape and geological characteristics of the basins.

The Water Exploitation Index plus (WEI+) measures water consumption as a percentage of the renewable freshwater resources available at river sub-basin level and by each of the four quarters of the year (3 consecutive months). WEI+ values above 20% indicate that water resources are under stress and therefore water scarcity conditions prevail; values above 40% indicate that stress is severe and freshwater use is unsustainable.

The WEI+ is a water scarcity indicator that provides information on the level of pressure exerted by human activities on the natural water resources of a territory. This helps to identify the areas that are prone to water stress problems.