Water is the one item every one of the 24 national guides we compiled agrees on. You can go weeks without food, but only a few days without water, and when the mains supply fails, the shops empty first of bottled water.
The short answer: 2 to 3 litres per person per day
The figures vary a little between countries:
| Country | Recommended | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Germany (BBK) | 2 L per person per day | 10 days |
| France (SGDSN) | 2 L per person per day | 3 days |
| Sweden (MSB) | 3 L per person per day | 1 week |
| Netherlands | 3 L per person per day | 3 days |
The lower figure covers drinking and some cooking. The higher one leaves a margin for hot weather, illness, babies and basic hygiene.
Work out your household's stock
Multiply people × days × litres. For a family of four planning for the EU's minimum of 72 hours:
- At 2 L: 4 × 3 × 2 = 24 litres
- At 3 L: 4 × 3 × 3 = 36 litres
Planning for Germany's ten days, the same family needs 80 to 120 litres. Add water for pets: count them in the stock too. Our checklist does this sum for your household automatically.
Bottled water or containers?
Most guides suggest a mix:
- Bottled water for drinking. Unopened supermarket bottles keep for a year or more; rotate them by drinking the oldest and buying new.
- Long-life emergency water, sealed in pouches or cartons, keeps for years and needs no rotation. It costs more but suits a kit you will forget about.
- Empty food-grade containers with lids and a tap, to fill from the tap when a warning comes. Germany, Sweden, Finland, Czechia and Slovakia all list them. Their water also does for washing and flushing.
Where to store it
Keep water somewhere cool and dark, off a concrete floor and away from chemicals and fuel: plastic lets smells through. Spread it across two places if you can, so a single burst pipe or flood doesn't take all of it.
If your stored water runs out
Six national guides, including France and Poland, list water purification tablets as a last resort. They make clear water safe from most germs but don't remove chemicals or salt. Filter cloudy water through a cloth first. Boiling for one minute works too, if you have a stove and fuel.
Check it twice a year
Pick two dates you will remember (when the clocks change works well) and check expiry dates, refill containers, and replace anything opened.