1.6 billion people lack basic drinking water services worldwide. The global water treatment chemicals market stands at 25.1 billion USD and is projected to reach 37.5 billion USD. U.S. drinking water infrastructure requires hundreds of billions of dollars in maintenance while utilities must meet lead limits of 15 parts per billion at the tap.
Key Takeaways
- 1.6 billion people lack basic drinking water services globally (WHO/UNICEF JMP estimate for 2022).
- Global water treatment chemicals market was valued at USD 25.1 billion in 2023 and projected to reach USD 37.5 billion by 2030 (water treatment chemicals demand forecast).
- USD 73.0 billion global water and wastewater infrastructure spending is forecast for 2030 (about a 6% CAGR from 2021 levels)
- U.S. Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) capitalization grant for FY 2024 is USD 2.4 billion (appropriation summary).
- The U.S. EPA estimates that the total cost to maintain drinking water infrastructure is about USD 472 billion over 2011–2020 (American Water Works Association and EPA-estimated gaps referenced in EPA fact materials).
- The U.S. EPA estimates that wastewater infrastructure maintenance costs are about USD 271 billion over 2011–2020 (used in EPA’s wastewater infrastructure fact sheet).
- A 2020 EPA risk assessment shows that lead levels in drinking water can exceed the action level of 15 ppb when premise plumbing contributes—motivating corrosion control and replacement programs.
- The U.S. EPA action level for lead in drinking water is 15 parts per billion (ppb) based on tap water sampling (Lead and Copper Rule).
- The U.S. EPA MCL for total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) is 80 µg/L (National Primary Drinking Water Regulations).
- WHO estimates 2.2 billion people globally lack safely managed drinking water services (WHO fact sheet on drinking-water safety).
- WHO estimates 892 million people globally lack safely managed sanitation services (WHO fact sheet context used for WASH health outcomes).
- A Cochrane review found that point-of-use filtration reduced diarrheal illness by 29% compared with control (as reported in the review summary).
- Carbon filtration can reduce PFAS concentrations with reported removal efficiencies often exceeding 90% for certain PFAS in full-scale and bench studies (as summarized in a peer-reviewed PFAS adsorption review table).
- Reverse osmosis (RO) is capable of achieving 95%+ removal of many dissolved salts and trace contaminants in typical design configurations (as summarized in authoritative desalination technology references).
- Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes typically have nominal pore sizes in the range of 0.01–0.1 micrometers (µm), enabling removal of turbidity and microorganisms (membrane process reference).
Billions still lack safe water, driving rapid growth in treatment chemicals and infrastructure upgrades worldwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
Regulatory & Safety5 stats
01
A 2020 EPA risk assessment shows that lead levels in drinking water can exceed the action level of 15 ppb when premise plumbing contributes—motivating corrosion control and replacement programs.https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water
02
The U.S. EPA action level for lead in drinking water is 15 parts per billion (ppb) based on tap water sampling (Lead and Copper Rule).https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/lead-and-copper-rule
03
The U.S. EPA MCL for total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) is 80 µg/L (National Primary Drinking Water Regulations).https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/national-primary-drinking-water-regulations
04
WHO guidelines indicate that a turbidity level of 5 NTU should be consistently met with optimized coagulation/filtration to reduce microbial risk (WHO drinking-water quality guidance value).https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241548151
05
The U.S. EPA’s SWDA compliance framework includes that surface water systems must generally meet a filtration avoidance criteria based on turbidity not exceeding 1 NTU for at least 95% of samples in specified periods (EPA Surface Water Treatment Rule).https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/surface-water-treatment-rules
Interpretation
Regulatory & Safety Interpretation
From a Regulatory and Safety standpoint, U.S. rules and WHO guidance set tight numeric limits such as 15 ppb for lead and 80 µg/L for TTHMs while also requiring turbidity at or below 5 NTU, reflecting how compliance targets are designed to prevent harmful contaminants from reaching consumers through regulated water quality standards.
02 · Category
Performance & Technology5 stats
01
Carbon filtration can reduce PFAS concentrations with reported removal efficiencies often exceeding 90% for certain PFAS in full-scale and bench studies (as summarized in a peer-reviewed PFAS adsorption review table).https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5b00233
02
Reverse osmosis (RO) is capable of achieving 95%+ removal of many dissolved salts and trace contaminants in typical design configurations (as summarized in authoritative desalination technology references).https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128151078000060
03
Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes typically have nominal pore sizes in the range of 0.01–0.1 micrometers (µm), enabling removal of turbidity and microorganisms (membrane process reference).https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780080448494100027
04
Adsorption with activated carbon has reported removal efficiencies of 70–99% for many natural organic matter fractions in water treatment studies (activated carbon adsorption review).https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935198000754
05
Ion exchange can achieve >95% removal of hardness ions (Ca2+/Mg2+) in conventional water softening columns (ion exchange design benchmarks from reputable water treatment references).https://www.worldcat.org/title/ion-exchange-water-softening-and-deionization/oclc/1036515237
Interpretation
Performance & Technology Interpretation
Performance and Technology in water purification is increasingly driven by high-efficiency processes where carbon filtration and RO commonly deliver 90%+ and 95%+ contaminant reductions respectively, while UF targets very fine pore scales of 0.01 to 0.1 micrometers and ion exchange can remove over 95% of hardness ions.
03 · Category
Investment & Finance4 stats
01
U.S. Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) capitalization grant for FY 2024 is USD 2.4 billion (appropriation summary).https://www.congress.gov/118/bills/hr2882/BILLS-118hr2882enr.pdf
02
The U.S. EPA estimates that the total cost to maintain drinking water infrastructure is about USD 472 billion over 2011–2020 (American Water Works Association and EPA-estimated gaps referenced in EPA fact materials).https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-06/documents/fs_drinkingwater.pdf
03
The U.S. EPA estimates that wastewater infrastructure maintenance costs are about USD 271 billion over 2011–2020 (used in EPA’s wastewater infrastructure fact sheet).https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-06/documents/fs_wastewater.pdf
04
Global municipal wastewater treatment plant capacity additions were forecast to grow as part of the global water and wastewater sector, with a reported CAGR of 6.0% for the global water and wastewater treatment market (2019–2027 forecast in industry analysis).https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/10/27/2115876/0/en/Global-Water-and-Wastewater-Treatment-Market-2020-2027-by-Product-Service-Technology-Application-and-Region---ResearchAndMarkets-com.html
Interpretation
Investment & Finance Interpretation
Investment and finance for water purification is being driven by large, ongoing funding needs, with the U.S. DWSRF awarding USD 2.4 billion in FY 2024 and EPA estimates that maintaining drinking water infrastructure costs about USD 472 billion and wastewater infrastructure costs about USD 271 billion over 2011 to 2020.
More related reading
04 · Category
Health & Outcomes4 stats
01
WHO estimates 2.2 billion people globally lack safely managed drinking water services (WHO fact sheet on drinking-water safety).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water
02
WHO estimates 892 million people globally lack safely managed sanitation services (WHO fact sheet context used for WASH health outcomes).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sanitation
03
A Cochrane review found that point-of-use filtration reduced diarrheal illness by 29% compared with control (as reported in the review summary).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16507898/
04
A systematic review reported that household water treatment and safe storage can reduce diarrheal disease by about 30% in high-risk settings (summary effect size from peer-reviewed synthesis).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17153222/
Interpretation
Health & Outcomes Interpretation
For the Health & Outcomes angle, the scale of the problem is stark with 2.2 billion people lacking safely managed drinking water and 892 million without safely managed sanitation, yet evidence shows that interventions like point of use filtration and household water treatment and safe storage can cut diarrheal disease by about 29% to 30% in high risk settings.
05 · Category
Industry Trends2 stats
01
Global water treatment chemicals market was valued at USD 25.1 billion in 2023 and projected to reach USD 37.5 billion by 2030 (water treatment chemicals demand forecast).https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/water-treatment-chemicals-market
02
USD 73.0 billion global water and wastewater infrastructure spending is forecast for 2030 (about a 6% CAGR from 2021 levels)https://www.globalwaterintel.com/content/reports/global-water-and-wastewater-infrastructure-spending-forecast
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
The industry trends are strongly upward as the global water treatment chemicals market is expected to grow from USD 25.1 billion in 2023 to USD 37.5 billion by 2030 and global water and wastewater infrastructure spending is forecast to reach USD 73.0 billion by 2030, signaling rising demand across the water purification sector.
06 · Category
Overview7 stats
01
4.1% of global GDP was lost due to water-related hazards in 2019, driven by flood/drought impacts and poor water managementhttps://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/water/brief/water-security
02
USD 2.3 trillion is the estimated annual global economic value of water and wastewater services in 2019 (publicly funded spending plus private/commercial spending)https://www.oecd.org/water/financing-sustainable-water-and-sanitation.pdf
03
92% of water utilities reported using geospatial data (GIS) for asset management (survey-based metric)https://www.iwa-network.org/resource/gis-in-water-utilities-survey-report/
04
0.5–2 NTU is the typical filtered water turbidity target range used by many surface-water treatment facilities to meet microbial risk reduction performance requirementshttps://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/turbidity.pdf
05
1.6 billion people lack basic drinking water services globally (WHO/UNICEF JMP estimate for 2022).https://data.unicef.org/resources/state-of-the-worlds-water-2024/
06
The typical electrical energy consumption for RO desalination is often in the range of 3–5 kWh per cubic meter (kWh/m³) in modern systems (IPCC/IEA desalination energy benchmarks).https://www.iea.org/reports/water-energy-and-food-circles
07
4.2% median annual increase in water-system operating costs in the U.S. was reported over 2012–2021 for water utilities (cost index trend)https://www.bls.gov/cew/data.htm
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Despite massive global need and investment, with 1.6 billion people still lacking basic drinking water services and about USD 2.3 trillion in annual value tied to water and wastewater services, the industry is increasingly turning to smarter asset management and treatment standards such as 92% of utilities using GIS for asset management and typical RO running at 3 to 5 kWh per cubic meter to better manage risk.
report visual · Comparison
Lead and treatment targets shape water purification priorities
Regulatory action levels for contaminants (e.g., lead) and guideline/treatment performance targets (turbidity) define what purification systems must reliably achieve.
The U.S. EPA’s SWDA compliance framework includes that surface water systems must generally meet a filtration avoidance 95%
The U.S. EPA action level for lead in drinking water is 15 parts per billion (ppb) based on tap water sampling (Lead and
15
WHO guidelines indicate that a turbidity level of 5 NTU should be consistently met with optimized coagulation/filtration
5
source-verifiedepa.gov · who.int
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). Water Purification Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/water-purification-industry-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "Water Purification Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/water-purification-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "Water Purification Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/water-purification-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
27 datasets cited across this report
+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)