The energy it takes to remove the salt from water makes it a process that is hard to do economically except in areas where two things coexist, water shortages and abundant energy resources. Consequently, 65% of desalination plants around the world are in Africa and the Middle East. Plants located in the United States account for 11% of the world desalination market.

Geographic reference: World
Year: 2008
Market size: $8 billion
Source: “World Water Desalination,” July 2009
Original source: Freedonia Group