Reports from Iranian regime government institutions show that the “renewable water per capita” indicator for each Iranian citizen has declined from about 7,000 cubic meters in past decades to less than 1,200 cubic meters.
Iran’s water industry spokesperson announced this on Friday, June 19, adding that population growth alongside declining rainfall and the consequences of climate change has placed unprecedented pressure on the country’s water resources.
Issa Bozorgzadeh, Iran’s water industry spokesperson, said regarding the status of this indicator in Iran compared with global standards: “This figure in earlier years, when the country received more rainfall, was about 130 billion cubic meters per year and has now fallen to less than 103 billion cubic meters per year.”
According to him, in the 1950s and 1960s, each Iranian had access to nearly 7,000 cubic meters of water per year, but this figure has now declined significantly.
Renewable water per capita, measured in cubic meters per person per year, represents each citizen’s share of the country’s natural water resources and is considered one of the most important global indicators for assessing national water security.
This indicator refers to the total renewable freshwater resources of a country or region, including surface water and groundwater that are replenished annually through rainfall and the natural water cycle, divided by the population of that country or region.
The minimum desirable per capita level for sustainable water resources is 1,700 cubic meters per person per year, and countries with a lower figure enter the category of “water stress.”
Experts emphasize the importance of this indicator for evaluating a country’s water security, planning sustainable water management, enabling fair comparisons among countries, and protecting resources for future generations.
Iran has faced severe drought for years, but in addition, water waste, excessive extraction from underground aquifers, structural weaknesses including inefficient or overly interventionist water management, and the expansion of agriculture have intensified the crisis in the country.
However, Iran’s water industry spokesperson described population growth as the “main reason” for the sharp decline in per capita water availability in Iran and said: “The country’s population has increased, and these resources are divided among more people, therefore each person receives a smaller share.”
According to Bozorgzadeh, part of this decline is also due to climate change and reduced rainfall.
Previously, average rainfall in Iran was about 250 millimeters, but it has now decreased. “Different studies show different figures, but climate change has caused the country’s average rainfall to decline by about 10%, although in some regions the decrease has been greater.”
The impact of rising temperatures on increased evaporation and transpiration, higher water consumption by plants and other living organisms, and changes in the geographic distribution and type of precipitation were also among the factors cited by the official as affecting the renewable water per capita indicator.
According to global standards, renewable water availability of more than 1,700 cubic meters per person per year indicates a favorable condition without water stress; between 1,000 and 1,700 cubic meters indicates water stress; between 500 and 1,000 cubic meters indicates severe water scarcity; and less than 500 cubic meters per person per year indicates absolute water scarcity (water crisis).
On this scale, values above 5,000 cubic meters per person per year indicate very abundant water resources. The figure of 1,700 cubic meters per person per year is regarded as the minimum globally acceptable threshold.
However, renewable water per capita differs from the amount of water each individual consumes. This indicator shows how much water nature provides to each citizen annually, not how much water each citizen uses.
Official statistics show that water inflow into Iran’s dams during the first 243 days of the current water year, from September 22, 2025, to May 23, 2026, increased by 72% compared with the previous year.
However, 33% of the country’s dam reservoir capacity remains empty, and experts say the uneven distribution of rainfall continues to pose challenges for water resource management.
