* The global market for desalination currently stands at about US $35 billion annually and could double over the next 15 years.
* In 2002 there were about 12,500 desalination plants around the world in 120 countries. They produce some 14 million m²/day of freshwater, which is less than 1% of total world consumption.
* The most important users of desalinated water are in the Middle East, (mainly Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain), which uses about 70% of worldwide capacity; and in North Africa (mainly Libya and Algeria), which uses about 6% of worldwide capacity.
* Among industrialized countries, the United States is one of the most important users of desalinated water (6.5%), especially in California and parts of Florida.
Source: 1st United Nations World Water Development Report: “Water for People, Water for Life"
