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Global demand for sand increased fivefold between 1970 and 2020, from 9.6 billion tonnes to approximately 50 billion tonnes, growing at an average annual rate of 3.2 per cent, creating serious environmental and sustainability challenges worldwide, according to a new report released by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on May 12, 2026.
The report, Sand and Sustainability: An Essential Resource for Nature and Development, highlights that global demand for sand and gravel continues to rise due to four drivers — population growth, migration from rural to urban areas, infrastructure development, and changing lifestyles that require larger built-up areas per person.
According to the report, the global population increased from 3 billion in 1960 to around 8.2 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. Urbanisation has accelerated sharply, with nearly 45 per cent of the global population living in cities in 2025, more than double the share in 1950. The average built-up area per person expanded from 43 square metres in 1975 to 63 square metres in 2025, reflecting increasingly material-intensive development patterns.
The global sand market was valued at US $569.4 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at around 3 per cent annually, driven by urbanisation and infrastructure development and climate adaptation projects.
Beyond construction, sand supports ecosystems, food systems and livelihoods worldwide. Sandy habitats provide fertile soils, freshwater resources and breeding grounds for fish and other aquatic species. The report notes that about 2.3 billion people depend on small-scale fisheries that rely heavily on sandy ecosystems.
Coastal tourism also depends on sand-based environments such as beaches and mangroves. More than 750 million tourists visit coastal areas annually, generating over US $1.5 trillion in spending and supporting millions of jobs. In many developing regions, sand extraction itself provides employment, both in formal and informal sectors, including mining, dredging, transport and construction activities.
However, the report warns that uncontrolled sand mining is severely damaging rivers, coastlines and marine ecosystems. Excessive extraction alters river flows, erodes beaches and riverbanks, lowers groundwater levels and destroys aquatic habitats. Coastal mining increases vulnerability to floods, storms and sea-level rise, particularly in climate-vulnerable regions.
The health impacts are also significant. Dust from sand transport can cause respiratory illnesses, while degraded water quality forces communities to spend more on drinking water. Un-reclaimed mining pits may become breeding grounds for mosquitoes carrying diseases such as malaria. Workers exposed to silica dust in fracking sand operations face risks of silicosis, an incurable lung disease.
The report warns that demand for sand in the building sector alone could rise by 45 per cent by 2060, while shortages are already disrupting infrastructure projects in several regions.
To address the crisis, the report proposes 24 strategic actions aimed at improving sand governance, promoting recycling and circularity, strengthening monitoring systems and integrating biodiversity protection into decision-making.
It stresses that sand must be treated as a strategic resource rather than an unlimited commodity to balance development needs with environmental sustainability.
