Produced as part of its Impacts global research programme, Savills Water Sustainability Index reveals that nine of the top 10 highest ranked countries are in Europe, where they are joined by Australia. In terms of regions, the ‘Global West’ has the highest average score with 90% of the countries in this region appearing in the top quarter of the Index. “Eastern Europe” places second, closely followed by the “Greater Middle East”. “Sub-Saharan Africa” is the lowest scoring global region, although contains some countries that are notable exceptions: Zimbabwe, South Africa and Eswatini all sit inside the top half of the Index.

Savills Water Sustainability Index 2024: 

Source: Savills Global Water Sustainability Index ranks countries using the Sanitation & Drinking Water, Wastewater Treatment, Sustainable Nitrogen Management Index indicators from Yale University’s Environmental Performance Index 2022.

Ian Cutts, Director and Infrastructure Sector Group lead at Savills, comments: “All forms of real estate require a consistent supply of water and with the climate crisis it is increasingly going to become a consideration for where new real estate projects can be delivered. Policy makers and planners need to adopt innovative approaches to conserve water, protect its quality, and reduce the impact of urbanisation on supply, but we in the property industry can and need to design and manage assets to ensure its sustainable use, as ultimately those without reliable provision could become stranded. The Index also shows potentially where more investment is needed in infrastructure to ensure future water supply.”

Joe Lloyd, Rural Research Analyst at Savills, adds: “Our Index considers very specific indicators on water management, opposed to abundance, availability or consumption, to show which nations are best prepared for managing a secure, safe supply of water going forward. Some of the countries that appear near the top of our ranking may at first appear surprising, but these locations are aware of their water constraints and have already taken steps to future-proof their supply. They’re therefore in a stronger position than many other countries which may have a reputation for having wetter climates, when it comes to managing the challenges ahead.” 

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Impacts is Savills global thought leadership publication and research programme. In 2024, Impacts is centred around the theme of “Inflection’, looking at the anticipated turning point in global real estate investment markets, and more broadly the future impact of social,environmental, technological, and demographic change (amongst other things) on places and spaces.