9 Ridiculous Facts About Water That You Won’t Believe Are True In 2014

But they are true.

1. 768 million people don’t have access to safe water.

Via reddit.com

2. That's roughly the size of Europe - and more than double the US population.

3. Women and girls carry most of the burden (70%) of getting drinking water, seriously cutting into their time for work, studying, and stuff like this:

4. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, people spend 40 billion hours every year just walking to collect water.

Via reddit.com

5. Poor access to safe water and modern sanitation causes economic losses estimated at $260 billion annually in developing countries.

Via myreactiongifs.com

6. 185 million people rely on rivers and streams for their drinking water - some of them extremely polluted.

Via news.bbc.co.uk

7. Water is a killer. Dirty water spreads diseases like diarrhoea, which kills 1,600 children under 5 EVERY DAY.

Via ed.ted.com

8. Access to safe water and sanitation can improve girls' school attendance significantly.

Via Facebook: unicef

The maths are simple - for every hour they don't spend collecting water, they can spend it in class! And keeping girls in class for longer is crucial for any country's development.

9. We'll end with some good news. Since 1990, almost 2.1 BILLION people have gained access to safe water.

Via gifs-for-the-masses.tumblr.com

Pretty impressive considering the Earth's current population is 7 billion. But it's not enough - we've got to keep going until everyone has access to safe water. That's one of our goals at UNICEF. Find out how we're trying to make it happen here, and tell us what water means to you here.