Bridging the 6.5 Trillion Water Infrastructure Gap A Playbook 2025

Bridging the €6.5 Trillion Water Infrastructure Gap: A PlaybookDecember 2025 The urgency of addressing the global water challenge has been repeatedly highlighted by leading institutions and thought leaders, including the World Bank Group, the Global Commission on the Economics of Water and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Recognizing the scale and implications of this challenge, the World Economic Forum is acting both to advance global water security and resilience through its multistakeholder community, and to elevate the collective voice of the water industry to foster stronger collaboration and reduce fragmentation. This paper specifically amplifies the voice of the water industry within the Forum and seeks to expand the global conversation on water. Beyond the imperative of ensuring safe water and sanitation for all, it calls on the sector to look further by accelerating infrastructure resilience, circularity and innovation. The research focuses on civil and industrial water systems, excluding agriculture, though its challenges can often be eased through reuse solutions analysed in this work. The estimated financing gap amounts to €6.5 trillion: closing it could unlock €8.4 trillion in additional GDP while supporting more than 206 million jobs worldwide. This report provides a strategic playbook of best practices, amplifying the voice of the water industry within the World Economic Forum and highlighting how collaboration across finance, policy, technology, and culture can accelerate progress. It presents 27 proven investment cases and enabling frameworks that show how meaningful progress is already being achieved across countries and sectors. Fundamentally, it aims to inspire adaptation and replication in scaling what already works. What is needed now is the determination to scale. The overarching message is clear: collaboration across the water sector is essential. Policymakers can unlock investment through clear strategies, effective regulation and improved governance. Industry leaders can embed efficiency and circularity into their operations, mainly as a matter of continuity and long-term competitiveness. Financiers can deploy targeted instruments to scale impact and attract private capital.Francisco Betti, Head, Global Industries Team; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic ForumMarco Pastorello Chief Transformation Officer and Head of Research & Studies, Acea Bridging the €6.5 Trillion Water Infrastructure Gap: A Playbook 4