| VARIABLE | DEFINITION | SOURCE | NOTES | ||
| WATER RESOURCES | |||||
| POPULATION | |||||
| Total population (1000 inhab) | Usually refers to the present-in-area (de facto) population which includes all persons physically present within the present geographical boundaries of countries at the mid-point of the reference period. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/ aquastat/data/query /index.html | |||
| Rural population (1000 inhab) | Residual population after subtracting urban population from total population. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Urban population (1000 inhab) | Population residing in urban areas. Usually the urban areas and hence the urban population are defined according to national census definitions which can be roughly divided into three major groups: classification of localities of a certain size as urban; classification of administrative centers of minor civil divisions as urban; and classification of centers of minor civil divisions on a chosen criterion which may include type of local government, number of inhabitants or proportion of population engaged in agriculture, as urban. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Population density (inhab/km2) | Number of inhabitants per square kilometer of total area. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| CLIMATE | |||||
| Average precipitation in volume (10^9 m3/yr) | Long-term double average over space and time of the annual precipitation falling on the country in volume. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| INTERNAL RENEWABLE WATER RESOURCES | |||||
| Surface water: produced internally (10^9 m3/yr) | Long-term average annual volume of surface water generated by direct runoff from endogenous precipitation (surface runoff). | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Groundwater: produced internally (10^9 m3/yr) | Long-term annual average groundwater recharge, generated from precipitation within the boundaries of the country. Renewable groundwater resources of the country are computed either by estimating annual infiltration rate (in arid countries) or by computing river base flow (in humid countries). | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Overlap between surface water and groundwater (10^9 m3/yr) | Part of the renewable freshwater resources which is common to both surface water and groundwater. It is equal to groundwater drainage into rivers (typically, base flow of rivers) minus seepage from rivers into aquifers. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | More explanations can be found in FAO Water Report 23. 2003. Review of world water resources by country (www.fao.org/ag/agl/aglw/ aquastat/reports/index2.stm). | ||
| Water resources: total internal renewable (10^9 m3/yr) | Long-term average annual flow of rivers and recharge of aquifers generated from endogenous precipitation. Double counting of surface water and groundwater resources is avoided by deducting the overlap from the sum of the surface water and groundwater resources. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | More explanations can be found in FAO Water Report 23. 2003. Review of world water resources by country (www.fao.org/ag/agl/aglw/ aquastat/reports/index2.stm). | ||
| Water resources: total internal renewable per capita (m3/inhab/yr) | Total annual internal renewable water resources per inhabitant. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| NATURAL RENEWABLE WATER RESOURCES | |||||
| Water resources: total renewable (actual) (10^9 m3/yr) | The sum of internal renewable water resources (IRWR) and external actual renewable water resources (ERWRactual). It corresponds to the maximum theoretical yearly amount of water actually available for a country at a given moment. While natural resources are considered stable over time, actual resources may vary with time and refer to a given period. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Water resources: total renewable per capita (actual) (m3/inhab/yr) | Total annual actual renewable water resources per inhabitant | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Annual River flows: | |||||
| From other countries (cubic km) | Annual internal renewable water resources refers to the average annual flow of rivers and recharge of groundwater generated from endogenous precipitation. Caution should be used when comparing different countries because these estimates are based on differing sources and dates. These annual averages also disguise large seasonal, interannual, and long-term variations. | Earth Trends. World Resources Institute (WRI). 2008. Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems: River Flows: Annual river flows from other countries. Online database. Available on-line at www.earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/ index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=3& action=select_countries | |||
| To other countries (cubic km) | Annual internal renewable water resources refers to the average annual flow of rivers and recharge of groundwater generated from endogenous precipitation. Caution should be used when comparing different countries because these estimates are based on differing sources and dates. These annual averages also disguise large seasonal, interannual, and long-term variations. | Earth Trends. World Resources Institute (WRI). 2008. Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems: River Flows: Annual river flows to other countries. Online database. Available on-line at www.earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/ index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=4& action=select_countries | |||
| WATER DEMAND | |||||
| WATER WITHDRAWALS | |||||
| Agricultural water withdrawal (10^9 m3/yr) | Annual quantity of water withdrawn for irrigation and livestock purposes. It includes renewable freshwater resources as well as eventual over-abstraction of renewable groundwater or withdrawal of fossil groundwater, use of agricultural drainage water, desalinated water and treated wastewater. It includes water withdrawn for irrigation purposes and for livestock watering, although depending on the country this last category sometimes is included in domestic water withdrawal. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Domestic water withdrawal (10^9 m3/yr) | Annual quantity of water withdrawn for domestic purposes. It includes renewable freshwater resources as well as eventual over-abstraction of renewable groundwater or withdrawal of fossil groundwater and the eventual use of desalinated water or treated wastewater. It is usually computed as the total water withdrawn by the public distribution network. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Industrial water withdrawal (10^9 m3/yr) | Annual quantity of water withdrawn for industrial uses. It includes renewable freshwater resources as well as eventual over-abstraction of renewable groundwater or withdrawal of fossil groundwater and eventual use of desalinated water or treated wastewater. Usually, this sector refers to self-supplied industries not connected to any distribution network. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Total water withdrawal (summed by sector) (10^9 m3/yr) | Annual quantity of freshwater withdrawn for agricultural, industrial and domestic purposes. It includes renewable freshwater resources as well as eventual over-abstraction of renewable groundwater or withdrawal of fossil groundwater and eventual use of desalinated water or treated wastewater. It does not include other categories of water use, such as for cooling of power plants, mining, recreation, navigation, fisheries, etc., which are sectors that are characterized by a very low net consumption rate. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Total water withdrawal: per capita (m3/inhab/yr) | Total annual amount of water withdrawn per capita | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Desalinated water produced (10^9 m3/yr) | Water produced annually by desalination of brackish or salt water. It is estimated annually on the basis of the total capacity of water desalination installations. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Access to an improved water source total (%) | Access to an improved water source measures the total proportion of the population with access to an improved drinking water source, expressed as a percentage. An improved water source includes any of the following types of drinking water sources: household connections, public standpipes, boreholes, protected dug wells, protected springs, and rainwater collection. Improved water sources are more likely to provide safe drinking water than unimproved sources, but are not a direct measure of 'safe' drinking water. National percentages of access to a 'safe' water supply are likely to be lower than the figures reported here. | Earth Trends. World Resources Institute (WRI). 2008. Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems: Water and Sanitation: Access to an improved water source. Online database. Available on-line at www.earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/ index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=401& action=select_countries | Data are for 1990 and 2004. These data were collected under the WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme and published in August, 2006. Updates to these data are made every few years. | ||
| Access to an improved sanitation total (%) | Access to improved sanitation measures the total proportion of the population with access to improved sanitation facilities, expressed as a percentage. Improved sanitation includes any of the following excreta disposal facilities: connection to a public sewer, connection to a septic tank, pour-flush latrine, simple pit latrine, ventilated improved pit latrine, pit latrine with slab, and composting toilet. Improved sanitation facilities are more likely to be sanitary than unimproved facilities, but are not a direct measure of 'basic' sanitation--facilities which are "considered the lowest-cost options for safe, hygenic and convenient facilities that prevent the user and his or her immediate environment from coming into contact with human excreta." | Earth Trends. World Resources Institute (WRI). 2008. Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems: River Flows:Water and Sanitation: Access to improved sanitation. Online database. Available on-line at www.earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/ index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=403& action=select_countries | Data are for 1990 and 2004. These data were collected under the WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme and published in August, 2006. Updates to these data are made every few years. | ||
| Rural access to an improved water source (%) | Rural access to an improved water source measures the proportion of the rural population with access to an improved drinking water source, expressed as a percentage. Any person not inhabiting an area classified as urban is counted in the rural population. The definition of an urban area varies slightly from country to country; the smallest urban agglomerations typically have a population between 2,000-10,000 people. (See 'Access to improved water source total' for definition of water source.) | Earth Trends. World Resources Institute (WRI). 2008. Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems: Water and Sanitation: Rural access to an improved water source. Online database. Available on-line at www.earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/ index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=400& action=select_countries | Data are for 1990 and 2004. These data were collected under the WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme and published in August, 2006. Updates to these data are made every few years. | ||
| Rural access to an improved sanitation (%) | Rural access to improved sanitation measures the proportion of the rural population with access to improved sanitation facilities, expressed as a percentage. Any person not inhabiting an area classified as urban is counted in the rural population. The definition of an urban area varies slightly from country to country; the smallest urban agglomerations typically have a population between 2,000-10,000 people. (See 'Access to improved sanitation total' for definition of sanitation.) | Earth Trends. World Resources Institute (WRI). 2008. Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems: River Flows: Water and Sanitation: Rural access to improved sanitation. Online database. Available on-line at www.earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/ index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=405& action=select_countries | Data are for 1990 and 2004. These data were collected under the WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme and published in August, 2006. Updates to these data are made every few years. | ||
| Urban access to an improved water source (%) | Urban access to an improved water source measures the proportion of the urban population with access to an improved drinking water source, expressed as a percentage. Any person not inhabiting an area classified as urban is counted in the rural population. The definition of an urban area varies slightly from country to country; the smallest urban agglomerations typically have a population between 2,000-10,000 people. (See 'Access to improved water source total' for definition of water source.) | Earth Trends. World Resources Institute (WRI). 2008. Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems: River Flows: Water and Sanitation: Water and Sanitation: Urban access to an improved water source. Online database. Available on-line at www.earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/ index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=402& action=select_countries | Data are for 1990 and 2004. These data were collected under the WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme and published in August, 2006. Updates to these data are made every few years. | ||
| Urban access to an improved sanitation (%) | Urban access to improved sanitation measures the proportion of the urban population with access to improved sanitation facilities, expressed as a percentage. Any person not inhabiting an area classified as urban is counted in the rural population. The definition of an urban area varies slightly from country to country; the smallest urban agglomerations typically have a population between 2,000-10,000 people. (See 'Access to improved sanitation total' for definition of sanitation.) | Earth Trends. World Resources Institute (WRI). 2008. Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems: Water and Sanitation: Urban access to improved sanitation. Online database. Available on-line at www.earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/ index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=404& action=select_countries | Data are for 1990 and 2004. These data were collected under the WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme and published in August, 2006. Updates to these data are made every few years. | ||
| Population affected by water related disease (inhab) | Total population that suffers from water-related diseases. There are three types of water-related diseases: (1) Water-borne diseases are those that arise from infected water and are transmitted when the water is used for drinking or cooking (for example cholera, typhoid); (2) Water-based diseases are those in which water provides the habitat for host organisms of parasites ingested (for example schistomasomiasis or bilharzia); (3) Water-related insect vector diseases are those in which insect vectors rely on water as habitat but transmission is not through direct contact with water (for example malaria, onchocerciasis or river blindness, elephantiasis). | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| WATER QUALITY | |||||
| Treated wastewater reused (10^9 m3/yr) | Quantity of treated wastewater which is reused in a given year. Wastewater treatment is the process to render wastewater fit to meet applicable environmental standards for recycling or reuse | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Wastewater: produced volume (10^9 m3/yr) | Annual quantity of wastewater produced in the country. It refers to either the quantity of water (in mÑ–) that has been polluted by adding waste or the quantity of polluted substances (pollution in kg BOD/d or comparable) that have been added to the water. The origin can be domestic use (used water from bathing, toilets, cooking, etc.) or industrial use. It does not include agricultural drainage water, which is the water withdrawn for agriculture but not consumed and returned to the system. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Wastewater: treated volume (10^9 m3/yr) | Quantity of produced wastewater that is treated in a given year and discharged from treatment plants (effluent). Wastewater treatment is the process to render wastewater fit to meet applicable environmental standards for recycling or reuse. Three broad types of treatment can be distinguished: primary, secondary and tertiary treatment. | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Land and Water Development Division. 2008. AQUASTAT Information System on Water and Agriculture: Online database. Rome: FAO. Available on-line at www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/ data/query/index.html . | |||
| Industrial water pollution: organic water pollutant (BOD) emissions kg/per day | Organic water pollutant emissions are measured in terms of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), which refers to the amount of oxygen that bacteria in water will consume in breaking down waste. For example, an overload of sewage in natural waters exhausts the water's dissolved oxygen content. Low levels of dissolved oxygen in water can impact the health of aquatic resources and ecosystems. BOD is a standard water-treatment test for the presence of organic pollutants. Data are given in kilograms per day. | Earth Trends. World Resources Institute (WRI). 2008. Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems: Industrial Water Pollution: Organic water pollutant (BOD) emissions. Online database. Available on-line at www.earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/ index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=1226& action=select_countries | |||
| Fish species | |||||
| Number of fish species | Fish species, number, refer to the total number of freshwater and marine fish identified, documented, and recorded in a particular country or region. Total numbers include both endemic and non-endemic species (a species that is found in a particular region and nowhere else is said to be endemic to that region). The total number of known species may include introduced species. Most marine fish are excluded from country totals. Figures are not necessarily comparable among countries because taxonomic concepts and the extent of knowledge vary (for the latter reason, country totals of species may be underestimates). | Earth Trends. World Resources Institute (WRI). 2008. Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems: Species: Fish species, number. Online database. Available on-line at www.earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/ index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=139& action=select_countries | |||
| Number of threatened species | Fish species, number threatened, includes all species of freshwater and marine fish that are listed as threatened by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and that are known to occur the territory of a given country. Threatened species data include species that are categorized as either "Critically Endangered", "Endangered", or "Vulnerable." Data include unconfirmed species occurrences and regionally extinct species, but exclude sub-species and introduced species. | Earth Trends. World Resources Institute (WRI). 2008. Water Resources and Freshwater Ecosystems: Species: Fish species, number threatened. Online database. Available on-line at www.earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/ index.php?theme=2&variable_ID=908& action=select_countries | |||
| SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS | |||||
| Purchasing Power Parity per capita income (GDP (PPP) $m) | GDP is gross domestic product at purchaser prices. It is the sum of the gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, PPP is the total annual output of a country's economy, here in current international dollars, per person. GDP per capita is the total market value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year, equal to total consumer, investment, and government spending, divided by the mid-year population. Here, it is converted into current international dollars using Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) rates. An international dollar adjusted for PPP has the same purchasing power over GDP as a U.S. dollar in the United States and buys an equivalent amount of goods or services irrespective of the country. PPP rates provide a standard measure allowing comparisons of real price levels between countries, just as conventional price indexes allow comparison of real values over time. Values are in current dollars and are not adjusted for inflation. | Earth Trends. World Resources Institute (WRI). 2008. Economics, Business and the Environment: GDP: GDP, PPP, current international dollars. Online database. Available on-line at www.earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/ index.php?theme=5&variable_ID=222& action=select_countries | |||
| Under-five mortality rates (per 1,000 live births) | Under-five mortality rate is the probability that a newborn baby will die before reaching age 5, if subject to current age-specific mortality rates. Under-five mortality rate is strictly speaking, not a rate (i.e. the number of deaths divided by the number of population at risk during a certain period of time) but a probability of death derived from a life table and expressed as rate per 1000 live births. | World Health Organization Statistical Information System (WHOSIS). 2008. Core Health Indicators: Probability of dying (per 1000 live births) under five years of age (under-5 mortality rate). Online database. Available online at www.who.int/whosis/database/core/ core_select_process.cfm? strISO3_select=ALL& strIndicator_select=MortChildBoth& intYear_select=latest&language=english | |||
| Literacy and Enrolment: net secondary enrolment rate (%) | Number of pupils of the theoretical school-age group for a given level of education, expressed as a percentage of the total population in that age-group. The purpose of this data is to show the extent of participation in a given level of education of children and youths belonging to the official age-group corresponding to the given level of education. | United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics. 2008. World Education Indicators. Paris: UNESCO. Available online at www.stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/ TableViewer/document.aspx? ReportId=143&IF_Language=eng | Calculation method: Divide the number of pupils enrolled who are of the official age-group for a given level of education by the population for the same age-group and multiply the result by 100. | ||
| Inequity of income or expenditure: Gini coefficient | The Gini index is an estimate of inequality. It measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Gini index score of zero implies perfect equality while a score of one hundred implies perfect inequality. | Earth Trends. World Resources Institute (WRI). 2008. Economics, Business and the Environment: Income Equality: Gini Index. Online database. Available on-line at www.earthtrends.wri.org/searchable_db/ index.php?theme=5&variable_ID=353& action=select_countries | Because the underlying household surveys differ in method and in the type of data collected, the distribution data are not strictly comparable across countries. |
|
