What percent of Earth's water is freshwater?

• A. 3%
• B. 97%
• C. 10%
• D. 1%

Answer: (A)

Freshwater is the portion of Earth's water that is not salty. Since most of Earth's water is in the salty oceans, only a small fraction remains as freshwater. The widely cited value is about 3% of all Earth’s water. Within that small amount, most of it is locked in glaciers and ice caps, with a large part as groundwater, and only a tiny portion exists as liquid surface water in rivers, lakes, and other easily accessible sources. That’s why 3% is the correct choice: it reflects the overall share of freshwater relative to all Earth's water. The other numbers would imply far more or far less freshwater than actually exists, which isn’t consistent with how water is distributed on our planet.