The World Water Gap map includes a layer that identifies the average annual demand for water beyond the renewable supply in various regions of the world, highlighting where humans are using more water than the water cycle can provide. Learners can toggle on and off an additional layer to explore how the water that accounts for that water gap is currently being used.

It is one of two maps created specifically for teaching and learning by National Geographic Explorer Marc Bierkens and his team at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. The two maps tell layered stories about the world’s water and are meant to be used together.