2 weeks ago
Iceland, Bhutan, Canada among top 10 freshwater-per-person countries
Some countries have lots of water for each person who lives there.
Iceland has the most freshwater per person in the world.
This is because Iceland has glaciers, lots of rain, rivers, and not many people.
Guyana and Suriname come next on the list.
Their rainforests and heavy rainfall give them plenty of water.
Bhutan gets water from Himalayan glaciers, snowmelt, and mountain rivers.
Canada is also in the top 10 because it has huge lakes, rivers, and glaciers.
Most of the top countries have high rainfall, forests, mountains, or big river systems.
Another big factor is having a small population, which makes water per person very high.
Still, having lots of water does not always mean everyone can easily get safe drinking water.
Iceland tops the list with 15,715,042 freshwater per person, thanks to glaciers, abundant precipitation, rivers and a small population.
Guyana (10,357,802) and Suriname (5,611,506) rank second and third, driven by rainforest cover, heavy rainfall and low population density.
Bhutan ranks fourth with 3,527,939, benefiting from Himalayan glaciers, snowmelt, mountain-fed rivers and extensive forest cover.
Canada ranks sixth with 2,585,036 per person, backed by vast lakes, rivers, glaciers and groundwater across a large landmass.
The article notes that abundant freshwater per person does not automatically mean every resident has easy access to safe drinking water.
- Who
- The countries ranked in the top 10: Iceland, Guyana, Suriname, Bhutan, Papua New Guinea, Canada, Norway, Gabon, New Zealand and the Solomon Islands.
- What
- A ranking of the top 10 countries with the most freshwater per person.
- Where
- Iceland (1st), Guyana (2nd), Suriname (3rd), Bhutan (4th), Papua New Guinea (5th), Canada (6th), Norway (7th), Gabon (8th), New Zealand (9th) and the Solomon Islands (10th).
- When
- Not stated in the article.
- Why
- High rainfall, glaciers, forest cover, mountain ranges, large river systems and relatively small populations drive the high per-person freshwater availability.
Key facts
- Top ranked country
- Iceland (15,715,042 freshwater per person)
- Number of countries ranked
- 10
- Second
- Guyana (10,357,802)
- Third
- Suriname (5,611,506)
- Fourth
- Bhutan (3,527,939)
- Fifth
- Papua New Guinea (2,772,204)
- Sixth
- Canada (2,585,036)
- Seventh to tenth
- Norway (2,472,029), Gabon (2,383,742), New Zealand (2,270,735), Solomon Islands (2,020,001)
Sources
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