Bhutan is Asia’s lone entry in top 10 for freshwater per person: Full list

3 min readJun 23, 2026 02:23 PM IST

Top 10 countries by freshwater resources per capita: Iceland at #1, only one Asian country in Top 10

Top 10 countries by freshwater resources per capita: Freshwater is one of the most important resources a country can have. According to a report released by Statranker.org, Iceland tops the list, having the highest amount of freshwater per person (498,179 m³/person/year), followed by Guyana (344,542 m³/person/year) as of 2026.

The list of 100 ranks countries based on the amount of renewable freshwater available per person each year, expressed in cubic metres per capita. It takes into account long-term supplies from rivers, lakes, groundwater reserves, and cross-border water inflows, while also factoring in the size of the population.

It has been noted that the top 20 countries are largely clustered across the North Atlantic region, northern South America, the Congo Basin, the Pacific, and other sparsely populated nations with abundant renewable water resources.

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Bhutan, ranked at #5, was the only Asian country that made it to the Top 10 list.

Following Iceland and Guyana in the top two positions, Suriname and Republic of the Congo ranked 3rd and 4th with 168,760 m³/person/year and 150,777 m³/person/year of freshwater available respectively. Bhutan, the only Asian country to secure a position in the list, clinched fifth place. Papua New Guinea and Gabon were placed at No. 6 and 7 respectively while larger countries like Canada, Norway and New Zealand secured 8th, 9th and 10th ranks respectively.

The differences within the ranking are substantial; Iceland‘s freshwater availability per person far exceeds that of most countries in the Top 20, while even those near the bottom of the list enjoy significantly greater water resources than many densely populated or water-scarce nations. However, it is worth noting that much of the available water may be difficult to access, protected for environmental reasons, seasonal in nature, located far from population centres, or affected by fluctuations such as floods and droughts.

Top 10 countries by freshwater resources per capita 2026:

Rank

Country

m³/person/year

1

Iceland

498,179

2

Guyana

344,542

3

Suriname

168,760

4

Republic of the Congo

150,777

5

Bhutan

101,088

6

Papua New Guinea

89,527

7

Gabon

74,582

8

Canada

73,469

9

Norway

72,493

10

New Zealand

67,811

Source: statranker.org

Note: The ranking is best understood alongside other factors such as water consumption levels, water stress, the quality of infrastructure, water management policies, access to safe drinking water, and climate-related risks.