Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Global Mountain Glaciers Lose 6.2 Percent of Mass Since 2000
Glaciers are giant rivers of ice that store fresh water.
They have been shrinking around the world.
From late 2024 to late 2025, glaciers lost about 408 gigatonnes of ice.
This added about 1.1 millimetres to global sea levels.
Every major glacier region lost ice for the fourth year in a row.
Since 2000, mountain glaciers have lost 6.2 per cent of their mass.
Scientists say warmer summers are melting more ice than winter snow can replace.
In the Himalayas and other regions, this loss can contribute to dangerous glacier events and reduce an important water reserve.
The world’s glaciers lost an estimated 408 gigatonnes of ice between October 2024 and September 2025.
The melt contributed roughly 1.1 millimetres to global sea-level rise in one year.
Every major glaciated region recorded a net loss for the fourth consecutive year.
Mountain glaciers have lost 6.2 per cent of their mass since 2000, as summer melting increasingly exceeds winter snowfall.
Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier retreated a record 385 metres in 2025, while a glacier collapse in Nepal-Tibet killed more than 390 people and left over 1,400 missing.
- Who
- The world’s glaciers, with findings reported by the World Meteorological Organization and its scientists.
- What
- Glaciers lost substantial ice mass, continuing a long-term decline and contributing to global sea-level rise.
- When
- Between October 2024 and September 2025; the longer-term loss has occurred since 2000.
- Where
- Across the world’s major glaciated regions, including the Himalayas, South Asia West and Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier.
- Why
- Summer melting has consistently exceeded winter snowfall, with the imbalance widening sharply since 2000.
- Ice loss, 2024–2025
- Estimated 408 gigatonnes, with an uncertainty of plus or minus 132 gigatonnes.
- Sea-level contribution
- Roughly 1.1 millimetres in one year.
- Long-term loss
- Mountain glaciers have lost 6.2 per cent of their mass since 2000.
- Regional trend
- Every major glaciated region recorded a net loss for the fourth consecutive year.
- Perito Moreno retreat
- The glacier’s front retreated 385 metres in 2025, its largest single-year retreat since 1997.
- Nepal-Tibet collapse
- A glacier collapse in August killed more than 390 people and left over 1,400 missing.
- Report
- The findings appeared in the World Meteorological Organization’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report.