River flows were among driest in decades in 2025, says World Meteorological Organization
Below-normal flows were recorded in more than a third of the world’s river basins as terrestrial water reserves continued to decline.
In 2025, rivers worldwide experienced one of their driest years in decades, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which released its State of Global Water Resources report on Thursday. The prolonged dry spell across Europe led to the Danube River nearly drying up in parts of Germany. This trend of declining terrestrial water storage, including groundwater, lakes, vegetation, ice, and snow, has been ongoing for a decade, raising concerns about future water supplies.
Terrestrial water storage has shown a persistent decline since 2014-2016, acting as a buffer during exceptionally dry years. WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo warned that depleting this "savings account" would have serious future implications. Below-normal flows were reported in over a third of the world's river basins, marking one of the driest years for rivers globally in the past 35 years.
However, some river basins experienced excessive water due to erratic and unpredictable water cycles. The report also highlighted widespread glacier losses across all regions for the fourth consecutive year, indicating long-term water insecurity.
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