Women and girls spend 250 million hours every day collecting water globally, the UN report finds
Over 2.1 billion people lack safely managed drinking water, with the burden falling disproportionately on women
In more than 70% of unserved rural households, women are responsible for fetching water
Unpaid water work limits access to education, income and safety, while exposing women to health risks and violence
Despite this, women remain under-represented in water governance and decision-making
Around the world, women and girls spend 250 million hours each day fetching water — time that could otherwise go towards education, work or rest, a new United Nations report has found.
The United Nations World Water Development Report 2026, released by UNESCO ahead of World Water Day, highlights how gender inequality continues to shape access to water, sanitation and hygiene worldwide.
Despite decades of progress, 2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water, with women and girls bearing the heaviest burden. In more than 70 per cent of unserved rural households, they are primarily responsible for collecting water — often over long distances and in unsafe conditions.
The report warns that this daily, unpaid labour not only limits opportunities for education and income, but also exposes women and girls to health risks, physical strain and, in some cases, gender-based violence.
Girls are particularly affected. Those under the age of 15 are more likely than boys to be tasked with fetching water, and millions of adolescent girls have missed school or work due to inadequate sanitation facilities.
“Ensuring women’s participation in water management and governance is a key driver for progress,” said UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany. “When women have equal access to water, everyone benefits.”
The report highlights how lack of reliable water and sanitation exposes women and girls to a range of risks.
Long journeys to collect water can lead to physical strain and injury, while unsafe or remote locations increase the risk of gender-based violence. Poor sanitation facilities, particularly in rural areas and urban slums, also affect dignity, health and school attendance.
Beyond households, women’s unpaid labour in managing water from rationing supplies to caregiving remains largely invisible in policy and planning, despite its economic value.
Despite their central role in water collection and management at the household level, women remain significantly under-represented in water governance.
Data cited in the report shows that fewer than one in five workers in water utilities are women in many low- and middle-income countries, and their participation in leadership roles is even lower.
This lack of representation can limit women’s access to water resources and weaken the effectiveness of water policies, the report says.
The report warns that climate change and water scarcity are intensifying these disparities.
Women in water-stressed and disaster-prone regions face greater exposure to risk, while also having less access to early-warning systems and recovery support. A rise in temperatures has been shown to reduce incomes in female-headed households more sharply than in male-headed ones, while increasing women’s workload.
The UN report calls for governments and institutions to move beyond technical fixes and address the structural roots of inequality.
Key recommendations include removing legal barriers to women’s rights over land and water, increasing gender-responsive financing, improving data collection, and strengthening women’s leadership in the sector.
Experts say that tackling gender inequality is not only a matter of justice but also essential for improving water security overall.
“Gender equality constitutes an essential path towards fair and just access to water,” the report concludes.
As global water challenges intensify, the findings underline a clear message: without closing the gender gap, universal access to water will remain out of reach.