The aim of this paper is to come up with a comprehensive estimate of international
virtual water flows in the period 1997–2001 and to analyse what these virtual water flows
mean in terms of water import dependency of regions. The paper considers international
trade in 285 crop products (covering 164 primary crops) and 123 livestock products (covering
eight animal categories). Trade in industrial products is dealt with all-inclusively as
well, but in a more crude way, with the average virtual water content per dollar of traded
industrial product as a key parameter.