Population growth and economic development are the two major driving forces of water demand. In developing countries, the rapid population growth together with an eagerness to develop the national economy, typically through industrialization, has generated a strong demand for additional water. This situation has been the basis underlying many projections of a substantial expansion of industrial water use. While the increase in industrial water use is a trend evident in many countries, it is also observed that industrial water use in some developed countries has experienced an increase, level-off and then decrease with the economic development and income rises. This inverted U-shaped trend resembles the well-known Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). Prior to this study, however, there has been no systematic investigation into changes in industrial water use associated with the process of industrialization.

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