Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO) 2025
AWDO is Asia and the Pacific’s index of water security, assessing 50 economies using a multidimensional framework and offering a shared, comparable evidence base to guide national planning, investment decisions, and policy reform.
AWDO remains the only recurring, region-specific assessment that captures the full spectrum of water challenges. Its balance of consistency and innovation enables it to track long-term trends while responding to emerging issues.
This 2025 edition of the Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO) highlights significant progress: 2.7 billion people in Asia and the Pacific have moved out of extreme water insecurity since 2013. Yet these gains are under threat from environmental degradation, increased water-related hazards, and a shortfall in investments in water infrastructure. The publication highlights the need for governments, the private sector, and development partners to work together to implement smarter, more inclusive policies and investments toward a water-secure, climate-resilient Asia and the Pacific.
Key Messages*0987y65r4e3w2q1
- ADB’s Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO) is a comprehensive assessment of the state of water security in Asia and the Pacific. Assessing 50 economies, AWDO uses five key dimensions to measure water security and create an evidence base that guides national planning, investment decisions, and policy reform.
- 2.7 billion people in Asia and the Pacific, or about 60% of the region’s population, have been lifted from the most extreme forms of water insecurity since 2013. This means that they now have access to basic water and sanitation or are safer from floods and droughts.
- Hard-won gains in improving the region’s water security, however, are at grave risk of being reversed due to environmental degradation, increased water-related hazards, and a shortfall in investments in water infrastructure.
- Governments, the private sector, and development partners must work together to implement policy reforms that make water services more efficient and sustainable, bridge the investment gap with smarter finance, strengthen governance to empower local institutions, and support social inclusion.
To read the outlook, please click on
/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/awdo-2025.pdf
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Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO) 2025
AWDO is Asia and the Pacific’s index of water security, assessing 50 economies using a multidimensional framework and offering a shared, comparable evidence base to guide national planning, investment decisions, and policy reform.
AWDO remains the only recurring, region-specific assessment that captures the full spectrum of water challenges. Its balance of consistency and innovation enables it to track long-term trends while responding to emerging issues.
This 2025 edition of the Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO) highlights significant progress: 2.7 billion people in Asia and the Pacific have moved out of extreme water insecurity since 2013. Yet these gains are under threat from environmental degradation, increased water-related hazards, and a shortfall in investments in water infrastructure. The publication highlights the need for governments, the private sector, and development partners to work together to implement smarter, more inclusive policies and investments toward a water-secure, climate-resilient Asia and the Pacific.
Key Messages*0987y65r4e3w2q1
- ADB’s Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO) is a comprehensive assessment of the state of water security in Asia and the Pacific. Assessing 50 economies, AWDO uses five key dimensions to measure water security and create an evidence base that guides national planning, investment decisions, and policy reform.
- 2.7 billion people in Asia and the Pacific, or about 60% of the region’s population, have been lifted from the most extreme forms of water insecurity since 2013. This means that they now have access to basic water and sanitation or are safer from floods and droughts.
- Hard-won gains in improving the region’s water security, however, are at grave risk of being reversed due to environmental degradation, increased water-related hazards, and a shortfall in investments in water infrastructure.
- Governments, the private sector, and development partners must work together to implement policy reforms that make water services more efficient and sustainable, bridge the investment gap with smarter finance, strengthen governance to empower local institutions, and support social inclusion.
To read the outlook, please click on
/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/awdo-2025.pdf
^
