Assessing the Consumption-based Water Use of Global Construction Sectors and its Impact to the Local Water Shortage

The trillion-dollar construction sector has exacerbated the significant challenge of global water scarcity. However, a notable gap exists in the availability of a comprehensive water footprint (i.e., water use through supply chain) map specific to the global construction sector and its impact on local water scarcity. Our study developed a water scarcity assessment model and linked it with the global environmental-extended multi-regional input-output model covering 120 sectors and 154 countries. With this, our study assessed the water footprints by final demands of the construction sector and their impact on local water shortages. Our findings indicate that the global construction sector’s water footprint is approximately 61 billion tons, constituting 5.3% of global water withdrawal in 2020. Both building construction and civil engineering construction sectors exhibit similar water footprints. Notably, water-scarce countries experience a disproportionate impact, with higher-income nations more significantly affected by their construction water footprint compared to low-income countries. The novelty of the study lies in the detailed economy-by-economy WF estimation of global build and civil construction sector and linked it with local water scarcity. Our results underscore the urgency of implementing measures by water scarcity countries and key sectors to mitigate and reduce the water footprint of the construction sector, thereby contributing to global water sustainability.