A person can generally survive without water for about 3 to 5 days under typical conditions. The commonly cited "3 days" rule is a rough guideline, but survival time varies significantly depending on factors such as environmental temperature, activity level, age, health, and body composition

. Key points include:

• Most people begin to suffer severe dehydration symptoms within a day without water, progressing to organ failure and death around the third to fifth day

• In hot or physically demanding conditions, survival time without water can be much shorter, sometimes only a few hours to a day

• Cooler, sedentary conditions may extend survival slightly beyond 3 days, but rarely beyond 5 days without any fluid intake

• There are rare exceptional cases, such as an 18-year-old Austrian man who survived 18 days without food or water by licking condensation, but these are extreme outliers

• The human body is about 70-75% water, and water is essential for vital functions like temperature regulation, nutrient transport, and waste elimination

In summary, while some individuals might survive slightly longer under ideal conditions, the average person can expect to survive about three days without water before life-threatening dehydration occurs. Beyond this period, the risk of death rises sharply