About 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by water, primarily in the form of oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers
. The oceans alone hold about 96.5% to 97% of all Earth's water, which is mostly salt water
. Freshwater accounts for only about 2.5% to 3.5% of the total water on Earth, with most of that freshwater locked in glaciers, ice caps, and underground aquifers
. If considering the entire volume of the Earth, water makes up only about 0.128% of Earth's total volume, since the planet is mostly solid rock beneath the surface
. In summary:
- Percentage of Earth's surface covered by water: ~71%
- Percentage of Earth's water contained in oceans: ~96.5% to 97%
- Percentage of Earth's water that is freshwater: ~2.5% to 3.5%
- Percentage of Earth's total volume that is water: ~0.128%
This means that while water covers most of the Earth's surface, it constitutes a small fraction of the planet's total volume
