Household water use ranges from fixture-level consumption in U.S. homes to global access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. The figures below identify their populations, measurement periods and definitions so that metered-use estimates, program thresholds and service-coverage indicators are not confused.
Key Household Water Use Statistics
The most useful headline figures span household consumption, bathroom fixtures, waste, access and wastewater:
- In 2015, people in United States homes used an estimated 82 gallons per person per day at home.
- In the 2016 REUW study, North American homes used an estimated 58.6 gallons of indoor water per person per day.
- Between the 1999 and 2016 REUW studies, indoor per-capita water use fell 15.4% in North American homes.
- In 2016, toilets accounted for 14.2 gallons per person per day in North American homes.
- In 2016, leaks accounted for 7.9 gallons per person per day in North American homes.
- In 2011, new single-family high-efficiency homes averaged 36.7 gallons of indoor water use per person per day.
- Under the current U.S. federal residential toilet standard, toilets may use 1.6 gallons per flush.
- Under the current WaterSense specification, certified residential toilets use 1.28 gallons per flush or less.
- EPA estimates that replacing old toilets can save nearly 13,000 gallons per U.S. home per year.
- In the average U.S. family, showering accounts for nearly 17% of residential indoor water use.
- A WaterSense showerhead uses no more than 2.0 gallons per minute in U.S. residences.
- The average U.S. family can waste 180 gallons per week from household leaks.
- In U.S. households, outdoor water use averages more than 30% of total household water use.
- In 2022, 2.2 billion people, or 27% of the global population, lacked safely managed drinking water.
- In 2022, 703 million people lacked even a basic drinking-water service worldwide.
- In 2022, 3.5 billion people, or 43% of the global population, lacked safely managed sanitation.
- In 2022, 2.0 billion people, or 25% of the global population, lacked basic hygiene services at home.
- In 2022, 42% of household domestic wastewater was not safely treated before discharge worldwide.
Contents
- U.S. household water use and indoor end uses
- Household water use trends and efficiency
- Bathroom water use statistics
- Household water waste, leaks and outdoor use
- Global drinking-water access
- Global sanitation, hygiene and wastewater
U.S. Household Water Use Statistics: Scale and Indoor End Uses
EPA’s WaterSense statistics page reports an estimated 82 gallons per person per day used at home in the United States in 2015. This is a national estimate citing USGS, rather than a metered panel.
The Residential End Uses of Water studies provide a different measure: observed indoor use in North American homes. Their results are useful for comparing end uses, but the two vintages are not a continuous annual series.
| Measure | 1999 study | 2016 study |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor water use | 69.3 gallons/person/day | 58.6 gallons/person/day |
| Toilets | 18.5 gallons/person/day | 14.2 gallons/person/day |
| Clothes washers | 15.0 gallons/person/day | 9.6 gallons/person/day |
| Showers | 11.6 gallons/person/day | — |
| Faucets | — | 11.1 gallons/person/day |
| Leaks | — | 7.9 gallons/person/day |
Source: WaterSense Specification for Homes, Version 2.0 Supporting Statement. The table compares study estimates, not a continuous time series; omitted cells were not supplied in the dataset.
The 1999 study measured 69.3 gallons of indoor water use per capita per day, while the 2016 study measured 58.6 gallons. The supplied comparison identifies a 15.4% decline between those study vintages, but it should not be read as an annual trend.
Household Water Use Trends: Efficiency and New Homes
The EPA supporting statement reports 36.7 gallons per person per day for new single-family high-efficiency homes in a 2011 study. That population is not representative of all homes.
EPA compared the high-efficiency-home result with the 2016 North American homes estimate and reported it as 37% lower. Because the populations and study periods differ, the comparison indicates an efficiency contrast rather than a controlled time-series result.
- In 2019, more than 1.25 million new single-family homes and multifamily units were constructed in the United States, according to the U.S. Census figure cited by EPA; construction volume is not itself a water-use measure.
- WaterSense products are required to be at least 20% more water-efficient than standard models. This is a program threshold, not an average observed saving across every product or household.
Source: WaterSense Specification for Homes, Version 2.0 Supporting Statement.
Bathroom Water Use Statistics: Toilets, Showers and Faucets
Bathroom fixtures are a major part of indoor household use. EPA estimates that toilets account for nearly 30% of average-home indoor water consumption, while showering accounts for nearly 17% of residential indoor water use for the average U.S. family.
| Bathroom measure | Standard or older fixture | WaterSense or replacement estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Residential toilet flow | 6 gallons/flush for some older inefficient toilets; 1.6-gallon federal standard | 1.28 gallons/flush or less |
| Showerhead flow | 2.5 gallons/minute standard showerhead | 2.0 gallons/minute or less |
| Toilet replacement outcome | — | 20%–60% less toilet water use; nearly 13,000 gallons/home/year |
| Toilet replacement cost outcome | — | More than $170/year; $3,400 over the toilet lifetime |
Source: Residential Toilets | US EPA WaterSense and Statistics and Facts | US EPA WaterSense. The flow figures are standards, certification thresholds or upper-use examples, not household averages.
For toilets, the federal residential standard is 1.6 gallons per flush, while WaterSense toilets use 1.28 gallons per flush or less. EPA presents that certification threshold as 20% less water per flush than the federal standard.
EPA estimates that replacing old toilets can reduce toilet water use by 20% to 60%, save nearly 13,000 gallons per home per year and save more than $170 per year in water costs. The agency also estimates $3,400 in savings over the toilets’ lifetime, while noting that household size, flush frequency and local rates affect the result.
At national scale, EPA estimates that replacing all old inefficient U.S. toilets could save more than 260 billion gallons per year. This is a replacement scenario, not a measured national outcome.
For showers, EPA estimates that showering adds up to nearly 40 gallons per day for the average family. Replacing a standard 2.5-gallon-per-minute showerhead with a WaterSense model using no more than 2.0 gallons per minute is estimated to save more than 2,700 gallons per family per year and $70 per year in combined water and electricity costs.
A residential bathroom faucet generally runs at 2 gallons per minute, according to EPA’s consumer statistics. Actual household consumption depends on how long the faucet runs and how often it is used.
Household Water Waste Statistics: Leaks and Outdoor Use
Leaks and irrigation can shift household water use substantially. EPA estimates that the average family can waste 180 gallons per week from household leaks, equivalent to about 9,400 gallons per family per year.
At the national level, EPA estimates household leaks can waste nearly 900 billion gallons each year in the United States. These are estimates based on leak assumptions, so incidence and severity vary among homes.
Outdoor use averages more than 30% of total household water use in U.S. households and can reach 60% in arid regions. Up to 50% of outdoor water can be lost through wind, evaporation and runoff when irrigation is inefficient.
- Poorly maintained automatic irrigation can waste up to 25,000 gallons per household per year.
- Well-managed irrigation can reduce irrigation water use by 15%, which EPA expresses as nearly 7,600 gallons per household annually.
- Running a faucet for five minutes while washing dishes can waste 10 gallons per event.
- Running the dishwasher only when full can save nearly 320 gallons per family per year, based on the supplied EPA estimate.
- Turning off the tap while brushing can save 8 gallons per day.
- Turning off the tap while shaving can save 10 gallons per shave.
Source: Statistics and Facts | US EPA WaterSense. These figures depend on flow, duration, behavior, climate, landscape and irrigation conditions.
Global Household Drinking-Water Statistics and Access Gaps
WHO and UNICEF’s Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) measures drinking-water service levels, not liters consumed. In 2022, safely managed drinking water meant an improved source on premises, available when needed and free from contamination.
| 2022 global drinking-water measure | Population or coverage |
|---|---|
| Lacked safely managed drinking water | 2.2 billion people, 27% |
| Had a basic service but lacked at least one safely managed criterion | 1.5 billion people |
| Lacked even a basic drinking-water service | 703 million people |
| Safely managed coverage in the JMP table | 51% of global population |
| Safely managed coverage, rural population | 64% |
| Safely managed coverage, urban population | 63% |
Source: Water Sanitation and Health: WASH monitoring and evidence. The rural and urban percentages are JMP coverage estimates, not household withdrawal or consumption rates.
Among the 703 million people lacking even a basic service in 2022, 292 million spent more than 30 minutes collecting improved-source water. Another 296 million used unprotected water sources, while 115 million drank untreated water from rivers or lakes.
These categories describe access and safety conditions. They should not be combined with U.S. indoor-use figures as if they measured the same outcome.
Global Household Sanitation, Hygiene and Wastewater Statistics
Household water outcomes also include sanitation, handwashing and what happens to domestic wastewater after use. The JMP definitions distinguish safely managed sanitation from basic hygiene, and wastewater treatment figures describe treatment before discharge rather than household water withdrawals.
- In 2022, 3.5 billion people, or 43% of the global population, lacked safely managed sanitation. The JMP definition requires an improved, non-shared facility with safe excreta treatment or disposal.
- In 2022, 2.0 billion people, or 25% of the global population, lacked basic hygiene services at home. Basic hygiene means a handwashing facility with soap and water on the premises.
- Of those lacking basic hygiene in 2022, 1.3 billion people had a facility but lacked soap and/or water.
- Of those lacking basic hygiene in 2022, 653 million people had no handwashing facility at home.
- In 2022, 42% of household domestic wastewater was not safely treated before discharge worldwide.
- The inadequately treated wastewater share represented an estimated 113 billion cubic meters released in 2022.
- About 45% of the inadequately treated fraction was attributed to inadequate blackwater and greywater collection systems.
Source: Water Sanitation and Health: WASH monitoring and evidence. The wastewater measures concern treatment and discharge, not the amount of water households withdraw.