The report presents key findings of the study examining economics of water use in 5 Central Asian countries and Afghanistan, and 13 Middle Eastern countries. The countries are divided into three groups based on their freshwater sources: first, countries where the main source of freshwater is the surface water flow of transboundary rivers; second, the Gulf states, which possess sufficient financial resources to meet growing water demand by expanding the extraction of freshwater from underground sources and the desalination of seawater; third, countries of a mixed group that depend on the flow of transboundary rivers and the extraction of groundwater. It was found that, in terms of the water intensity of economic growth or freshwater withdrawal per unit of GDP, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are among the top ten global leaders. Based on GLORIA interregional input-output balances, supplemented by water use indicators, and the concept of «virtual water» contribution of water to exports was determined. To ensure comparability the analysis was conducted using standardized international statistics, which were supplemented and adjusted, if necessary, by expert assessments of the authors.