canada

Brazil has the world's largest total renewable freshwater resources — approximately 8,647 cubic kilometers per year, more than any other country and roughly 20 percent of the global total. Russia is second at 4,525 km³/year, Canada third at 2,860 km³/year. But total volume is only part of the story: Canada's per-capita freshwater availability is 36 times higher than China's. And water stress — not total availability — is the defining water challenge of the twenty-first century. This ranking covers the top 20 countries by total renewable freshwater resources, sourced from FAO AQUASTAT, with per-capita comparison and analysis of global water scarcity.

China leads the world in hydropower with 435.95 GW of installed capacity — more than three times that of second-place Brazil at 110 GW. Hydropower is the world's largest source of renewable electricity, accounting for roughly 40 percent of global renewable generation. This ranking covers the top 15 countries by hydropower installed capacity using IHA and IRENA 2024 data, with methodology, historical context, and caveats about what capacity figures do and do not tell you.

No single list ranks countries by lake count, because the answer depends on how small a pond you are willing to call a lake. Here is what the national surveys and satellite inventories actually say, and which lakes hold the most water.