World Water Day 2026: "Water and Gender"
Key facts about World Water Day:
Date
Sunday, March 22, 2026 ("Water and Gender")
Origin & Organization
Launched in 1992 at the UN Conference in Rio de Janeiro, celebrated for the first time in 1993. Coordinated by UN-Water as part of the 2030 Agenda.
Goal
Raise awareness of the need to protect global water resources and promote access to safe drinking water.
What is World Water Day?
World Water Day takes place every year on March 22. The aim of World Water Day is to raise awareness of the importance of water as a vital resource. Each year, this special day of action has a different theme that highlights various global challenges related to water.
World Water Day was established in 1992 at the World Conference in Rio de Janeiro and was first celebrated in 1993. Since 2003, it has been organized by UN-Water and is linked to the sixth UN sustainable development goal of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
Why is World Water Day so important?
Although a huge part of the planet is covered with water, the amount of drinkable fresh water is negligible. Since water is arguably the most important resource for life on Earth, it is important to protect it. International World Water Day draws attention to global water shortages and other challenges facing this vital resource.
FAQs: 5 key water issues
What does water scarcity actually mean?
Most naturally occurring water is salt water, which is unsuitable for everyday use. Since fresh water accounts for only about three percent of the global water supply, and a significant portion of that is stored in glaciers, there is talk of a water shortage—more precisely, a shortage of available fresh water.
Why is there a global water shortage?
There are many causes of water scarcity: a growing global population, unequal distribution of water resources, longer periods of drought, rising living standards, and reduced water quality due to fertilizers or chemicals, for example. Many of these factors are further exacerbated by climate change.
What is the average daily water consumption?
In Germany, average water consumption per person per day is between 120 and 130 liters—and that doesn't even include indirect water consumption. Most of the approximately 130 liters can be attributed to personal hygiene, use of toilets, and laundry.
What is indirect water consumption?
Indirect water consumption indicates how much water is required to manufacture a product throughout the entire manufacturing process. For example, meat consumption uses a lot of water—around 15,000 liters of water are used to produce one kilogram of beef. Indirect water consumption is often referred to as virtual water.
Why are some countries more severely affected by water shortages than others?
In some regions, water shortages are more acute than in others, and many people do not have access to clean drinking water. Often, the problem is geographical location and/or a lack of water resources. In some countries, it is a lack of infrastructure or environmental regulations. But even popular vacation destinations often struggle with water shortages in the summer months because significantly more water is used during this time.
Save water with Duravit
Conscious use of water is an integral part of Duravit's corporate philosophy, which is why we strive to continuously improve our systems to make them even more sustainable and water-efficient. With our innovative systems, we are already contributing to reduced water consumption today.
Dual Flush
Many of our Duravit toilets use Dual Flush technology. This allows you to choose between a normal and an economical flush to save water.
HygieneFlush
Our HygieneFlush toilets also feature optimal flushing technology for lower water consumption. The two offset openings create a powerful flush in the toilet, which not only ensures hygiene and cleanliness, but also saves water.
Duravit Rimless®
A rimless toilet with Duravit Rimless® technology reduces water consumption thanks to its smart water flow system, while still delivering hygienic results – even with small flush volumes.
Waterless urinal
You don't use any water at all with our DuraStyle and ME by Starck urinals. These special waterless urinals work completely without water.
