the water footprint of a nation is the amount of water used to produce the goods and services consumed by the inhabitants of that nation. analysis of the water footprint of nations illustrates the global dimension of water consumption and pollution, by showing that several countries rely heavily on foreign water resources and that (consumption patterns in) many countries significantly and in various ways impact how, and how much, water is being consumed and polluted elsewhere on earth. international water dependencies are substantial and are likely to increase with continued global trade liberalisation. the largest share (76%) of the virtual water flows between countries is related to international trade in crops and derived crop products. trade in animal products and industrial products contributed 12% each to the global virtual water flows. the four major direct factors determining the water footprint of a country are: volume of consumption (related to the gross national income); consumption pattern (e.g. high versus low meat consumption); climate (growth conditions); and agricultural practice (water use efficiency).