Water is so important to the world that we live in. Not only does water keep us and our family hydrated, it is also essential for the growth of plants and trees around us, as well as the health of the animals that we share the world with.
But have you ever thought about just how much water you use?
In the USA, it is recommended that you should be drinking around eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day, which is about half a gallon. But, this is just a small amount of the water that you will likely use every day.
In fact, the average American actually uses around 82 gallons of water a day while they are at home. This might get you wondering what human activity uses the most water.
In this guide, we’ll be taking a look at what human activity uses the most water worldwide, as well as what human activity uses the most water at home. So, if you want to find out more, keep on reading!
What Human Activity Uses the Most Water Worldwide?
First things first, let’s take a look at what human activity uses the most water worldwide. As we have mentioned, there are lots of different uses of water, and this does make it tricky to guess which activity uses the most water.
You might expect it to be drinking water or water used for bathing/showering, but this isn’t the case. Instead, the biggest use of water worldwide is actually something that most humans aren’t directly involved with.
The human activity that uses the most water worldwide is agriculture. Unless you are directly involved with the world of agriculture, it can be easy to forget just how much work goes into this.
The agricultural industry is responsible for the growth of all the fruit and vegetables that we eat, as well as the farming of livestock for meat.
A lot of water is required for the growth of fruits and vegetables and grains, and a lot of water is also required for the health of livestock that we will go on to eat. That is why it really isn’t surprising that agriculture makes up around 70% of the world’s freshwater usage.
When you think about your own personal water usage, it can be easy to forget about the water that you are not directly involved in. But, just as a reference point, the average 6-ounce steak takes around 687 gallons of water to produce.
So, if you enjoy a 6-ounce steak for your dinner, you are then personally connected to the usage of 687 gallons of water.
Then think about how much water would be used if every American had a 6-ounce steak for their dinner. Or more so, if every single person in the world (all 7.9 billion) had a 6-ounce steak for their dinner.
Once you put these numbers into perspective, it is easy to see how agriculture is responsible for 70% of the world’s freshwater usage.
What Human Activity Uses the Most Water at Home?
So, agriculture uses the most water worldwide. But, you might be wondering what human activity uses the most water in your home. If you sit and think about it, there are lots of things that you use water for in your home.
You use water to drink, water to cook, water to clean, water to bathe, and lots more. But what activity uses the most?
Well, this might surprise you, but the human activity that actually uses the most water at home is flushing the toilet. Throughout the day, you will use and flush your toilet multiple times, so it makes sense that this uses the most water.
If you couple this with the fact that most toilets aren’t water efficient , then the amount of water that you use from flushing your toilet is great.
Thankfully, there are ways that you can reduce your water usage when flushing the toilet. One of the best ways to do this is to install a water-efficient toilet, as doing this could save around 360 billion gallons of potable water every year.
Another recommended method for reducing water usage when flushing the toilet is to only flush solid waste.
Of course, flushing the toilet isn’t the only human activity that uses a lot of water in your home.
In addition to this, things such as running the washer/dryer multiple times a day, leaving the water running while you clean your teeth, and taking long showers can use a lot of water in your home.
Should You Reduce Your Water Usage?
Across the globe, agriculture uses the most water worldwide. Around 70% of the world’s water usage is taken up by agriculture, 20% is taken up by industry, and only 10% is taken up by domestic usage.
This can lead some people to question why we should reduce our own personal use of water, when so much of it is taken up by other categories. But in situations like this, every little helps.
There are lots of ways that you can reduce your personal water usage by making small changes at home. These changes are little, but in the long run, they can be incredibly helpful.
As well as installing water-efficient appliances, such as your toilet, you can reduce your water usage by being more conscious about using water.
You can do this by running fewer clothes washes a day, taking shorter showers, washing your car with a sponge (rather than a hose), and even by turning off the faucet while you clean your teeth.
These changes are small, but they will reduce your water usage significantly, and in the long run, this will help the planet.
Summary
In short, the human activity that uses the most water worldwide is agriculture. In fact, agriculture accounts for around 70% of the world’s freshwater usage. In terms of domestic human activity, it is flushing the toilet that uses the most water worldwide.
We hope you have found this information useful. Thank you for reading!
Hi, my name is Mike Noren and I am an activist for saving water. In the USA alone, we waste almost 900 billion gallons of water every year. To put that into perspective, that equates to the yearly household water use of around 11 million homes!
We waste water in so many ways, like leaving the faucet on while we brush our teeth, bathing instead of showering, and watering our lawns more than we need to.
Through my site, you'll learn more about droughts and their effects on society, how to collect rainwater and use it in your everyday life, and how much water you really need to be using a day. Remember that saving water will also save money on your water bill, so why not give it a go and help me Save The Drop!
