According to the search results, only about 3% of Earths water is fresh. However, not all of this fresh water is usable by humans and other living things. For example, 2.5% of the earths fresh water is locked up in glaciers, polar ice caps, atmosphere, and soil, and is therefore unavailable. Only about 0.3% of our fresh water is found in the surface water of lakes, rivers, and swamps, and can be used as drinking water. The remainder of Earths fresh water is found underground as soil moisture and in aquifers.