The costs and risks of AMR water pollution

The report identifies AMR water pollution as a major global health challenge, projecting between 2.4 and 10 million additional deaths per year by 2050. It argues that risk is a product of pollutant discharges—from healthcare, agriculture, and pharmaceutical manufacturing—and socioeconomic vulnerability, particularly lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. The analysis projects that ongoing annual economic impacts from AMR in water range from $340 to $680 billion, with severe downside risks of localized epidemics. The report recommends a multi-sectoral response combining upstream interventions (prudent antimicrobial use and responsible manufacturing) and downstream interventions (improved WASH access).

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is projected to cause between 2.4 and 10 million additional deaths annually by 2050.
• AMR risk is driven by discharges from three primary sources: human consumption in healthcare and communities, animal consumption in agriculture, and the manufacture of antimicrobial drugs.
• Global antibiotic use is expected to rise significantly by 2030, with clinical use projected to grow by 28% and agricultural use by 50% relative to 2013 levels.
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing of antibiotics is heavily concentrated in China and India, which produce 80% to 90% of the world's supply and account for approximately 70% of global exports.
• The ongoing global economic impact of AMR water pollution on the duration and quality of life is estimated at $340-680 billion per year, representing 25% of the total global burden of malaria and tropical diseases.
• In some low-income countries, the cost of treating resistant diseases from water pollution is unaffordable; in Somalia, these costs are estimated to reach 2% of the national GDP.
• A plausible epidemic scenario of resistant cholera in Bangladesh could result in 700,000 infections and 140,000 deaths, potentially devastating the fishing sector which supports 18 million jobs.
• Upstream interventions to curtail clinical overuse of antimicrobials are relatively low-cost, with an ambitious global programme estimated at $4-9 billion per year.
• Improving global access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) to meet 2030 targets is estimated to cost between $13.8 and $46.7 billion annually.
• The development of new 'last resort' antimicrobial drugs is slow because pharmaceutical manufacturers regard the process as unprofitable.

APA

World Economic Forum (2020). The costs and risks of AMR water pollution. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_costs_and_risks_of_AMR_water_pollution_2021.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. The costs and risks of AMR water pollution. 2020. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_costs_and_risks_of_AMR_water_pollution_2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=The costs and risks of AMR water pollution |date=August 2020 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_costs_and_risks_of_AMR_water_pollution_2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2020costs, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{The costs and risks of AMR water pollution}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, month = aug, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_costs_and_risks_of_AMR_water_pollution_2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }