Water Security and Supply Outlook in Netherlands

Executive overview

Key findings

87.91%: share of the country's 91 km³ a year of renewable water that originates outside its borders (long-term average, reference year 2023)

16 July – 3 September 2026: national actual water shortage, with the Rhine at Lobith at its lowest level ever measured; drinking water availability was officially unaffected

102 million m³: extra drinking water production capacity targeted by 2030; the first progress report finds achievement uncertain

129 → 100 litres: household use per person per day, 2021 estimate against the 2035 target

Buyer relevance

Who the report is for

Drinking water companies and their advisers

Benchmark regional supply margins, such as the four provinces RIVM found without peak reserves in 2020, against the 2030 capacity target.

Industrial and agricultural water users

Understand where they stand in the national priority order during a shortage and what the 2026 drought meant for abstraction.

Engineering and treatment suppliers

See where new supply is coming from, including new groundwater abstraction, central Zeeland treatment and reuse at Terneuzen.

Policy and risk analysts

Follow the planning decisions due in 2027, from the National Water Programme to Deltaplan Zoetwater phase 3.

Decision scope

Questions answered

Is the Netherlands water-stressed?

Not on the national measure: water stress was 14.91% in 2023. But 80 of its 91 km³ a year of renewable water arrives from abroad.

Did the 2026 drought affect drinking water?

Not its availability. The country was in a national actual water shortage from 16 July to 3 September 2026, and the government reported no problems with drinking water availability.

Where does Dutch drinking water come from?

Mostly from the ground: groundwater, bank filtrate and dune water made up 806 million of the 1,240 million m³ abstracted in 2025.

How much new capacity is needed?

The national action programme targets 102 million m³ of extra drinking water capacity by 2030; its first progress report finds achievement uncertain.

Inside the report

Inside the complete report

Executive Snapshot

1. Why This Matters Now in Netherlands

2. Current Position

3. Key Programmes, Projects and Investment

4. Policy, Regulation and Institutions

5. Risks and Constraints

6. Strategic Implications

7. What to Watch

Source Register

Public preview

What to watch next

1. Why This Matters Now in Netherlands

The knelpuntenanalyses (bottleneck analyses) for the Delta Programme review and the National Water Programme 2028–2033, which IenW says will quantify how far freshwater shortages grow nationally and by region.

3. Key Programmes, Projects and Investment

Publication of the action programme's next progress report, and a permit application at Schalkwijk.

4. Policy, Regulation and Institutions

The government's response to the Rli advice, and a successor to the Drinking Water Policy Memorandum 2021–2026.

5. Risks and Constraints

Groundwater recovery over winter 2026–2027 and the onset of the 2027 drought season, which begins on 1 April.

Report page with tables of Dutch renewable water resources, water stress from 2020 to 2023, withdrawals by sector and the drinking water balance by source for 2024 and 2025. — Sample page · page 4 of 11
The national water balance and the 2024–2025 drinking water balance by source.

Included

What you receive

The complete PDF report: 11 pages, 9 sections, 9 tables and a register of 28 sources.

This edition

November 2026, First edition.

Evidence & method

Evidence and method

National water accounts from CBS and FAO AQUASTAT, the Vewin drinking water balance for 2024 and 2025, Rijkswaterstaat and government drought statements from 2026, RIVM and KNMI assessments, Delta Programme and budget documents, and company project announcements.

Sources

28 sources, listed in the report's source register. Evidence current to 1 November 2026. Principal data periods: 2020–2023 national water accounts; 2025 drinking water production and abstraction (Vewin, September 2026); the 2026 drought season; targets for 2030 and 2035 and projections to 2050 and 2100. Status checks as of 1 November 2026. All currency is euros (EUR) unless stated..

Evidence boundaries

This report uses authoritative source material available at the stated research cutoff. It distinguishes published facts, calculated values and analytical interpretation. No independent modelling is performed. Forward-looking analysis reflects published plans, documented trends and stated uncertainties. It does not constitute legal, financial, investment or engineering advice.

Lead analyst

Robert C. Brears

Founder, Our Future Water Intelligence

Robert C. Brears is a water-security specialist and author whose work examines utility governance, infrastructure investment, climate resilience and long-term water-system change for executive and policy audiences.

Decision-focused utility intelligence
Published water-policy author
Evidence-grounded system analysis

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