AUTHOR=Li Chuanjian , Qian Siyu , Liu Jianxu , Wang Yameng 

TITLE=Analysis on the decoupling of China’s economic development and water resource utilization under the rigid constraint of water resources

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2025.1498807

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2025.1498807

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=China faces severe water scarcity, with water resources unevenly distributed across country-abundant in the south, and to better understand the degree of decoupling between China’s economic development and the water resource utilization, this study uses panel data from prefecture-level cities between 2010 and 2019 to examine the degree of decoupling between economic growth and the ecological footprint of water resources, providing a more comprehensive description of water resource consumption. The findings show the following: (1) The number of cities achieving strong decoupling is still relatively small, and the share of cities experiencing weak decoupling is also limited, indicating that most cities’ economic growth still heavily depends on water resources. (2) A comparison of decoupling levels across different river basins in China shows that water resource utilization efficiency remains low, with an acute conflict between economic growth and water resources. In addition, the ecological footprint of both agricultural and industrial water use continues to grow, highlighting the urgent need to improve water resource utilization efficiency. (3) An analysis based on the decoupling catch-up index model shows that most less-developed cities have been unable to achieve a win–win situation in their pursuit of economic growth and improvements in water resource utilization efficiency. Moreover, the gap in per capita GDP between most less-developed cities and developed cities is increasingly widening. This study offers valuable theoretical support and practical guidance for enhancing the sustainable use of water resources and fostering the coordinated development of regional economies. In addition, its findings have broad application prospect in advancing water resource management tailored to local conditions.