What percentage of Earth’s water is found in the oceans?

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Diagram illustrating Earth's environmental spheres, with labeled sections showing the geosphere (land and crust), biosphere (living things), atmosphere (air), and hydrosphere (water), each extending vertically from the Earth's surface. — hydrosphere Earth's environment includes the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere, and the biosphere.

Approximately 96.5 percent of Earth’s water is found in the oceans.1

While estimates can vary slightly depending on the specific data source and inclusion of associated sea ice, the hydrosphere is overwhelmingly dominated by oceanic water. The remaining small fraction of Earth's water is distributed among other reservoirs, including glaciers, ice caps, groundwater, lakes, and the atmosphere.12