Domestic and industrial water uses of the past 60 years as a mirror of socio-economic development: A global simulation study

► Simulated 60-year time series of domestic, manufacturing, and thermoelectric water use. ► Global domestic water use has continuously increased driven by growing population and rising prosperity. ► Transformation processes and policy regulations have slowed down and reduced global domestic and industrial water uses. ► Our results imply that the maximum of global water withdrawals has not been reached yet. ► To reach the MDGs, secure water supply and reduction of untreated wastewater are among the most important actions to be undertaken.