The recently released United Nations' World Water Development Report: Water for People, Water for Life, provides a comprehensive, up-to-the-date overview of the state of water resources in the world today. The report was issued as a resource for the Third World Water Forum, conducted in Kyoto, Japan, March 16 - 23. The event was part of the 2003 International Year of Freshwater.

Included as part of the report's analysis is a ranking of over 180 countries and territories of the amount of renewable water available per capita in each area. This includes all of the water circulating on the surface, in the soil or deeper underground. Also ranked is the quality of the 180 countries' water. Figured into this ranking is the countries's ability and commitment to improve their situations.

Below are tables indicating the top five and bottom five countries in the water quality and quantity categories. The water quality ranking of the United States also is shown. (Belgium's unexpected bottom ranking is because of its low-quality groundwater, heavy industrial pollution and poor treatment of wastewater.)

For complete rankings of all 180 countries and territories check the web site www.wateryear2003.org