Water use efficiency worsens in 2025

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s overall water use efficiency (WUE) declined in 2025, representing a 4.3-percent drop, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The PSA reported that the country’s WUE in 2025 fell to P221.48 per cubic meter of water used, down from P231.42 the previous year.

The WUE measures how effectively an industry utilizes water resources by dividing its value-added with the volume of water it consumes.

The services sector accounted for the highest WUE in 2025 at P1,553.61 per cubic meter of water used.

This was followed by the industry sector with a WUE amounting to P261.47, a decrease of 33.4 percent from P392.86 in 2024.

“This decline contributed to the decrease in the overall WUE,” the PSA said.

On the other hand, the agriculture sector remained with the lowest WUE at P16.48 in 2025.

The PSA also reported that total freshwater withdrawals rose to 101.61 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2025 from 93.08 bcm in 2024, while the level of water stress reached 31.1 percent.

“The annual level of water stress from 2016 to 2025 consistently fell within the low-level classification range set by the Food and Agriculture Organization, which is 25 to 50 percent,” it added.