It is estimated that the amount of water in Yemen required during the next decade to meet the growing demand will be about 4.5 billion cubic metres (BCM). The water deficit in 2000 was 700 million cubic metres (MCM), rose to 900 MCM in 2010 and is expected to reach 2,500 MCM in 2025.

In 1990, total water use in Yemen was 2,799 MCM/yr. In 2010, it was 3,970 MCM/yr. Since availability is declining and the population is increasing, Yemen may soon run dry

The population of Jordan has risen substantially over the last 60 years, from around 470,000 in the early 1950s to 6.2 million in 2010, a figure that is expected to double in the next three decades.