Approximately what percentage of all the water on Earth is freshwater rather than saline ocean water?

Introduction / Context:
This question covers a basic environmental and geographical fact about the distribution of water on Earth. Knowing how much of the planet water is fresh versus salty helps us understand why freshwater resources are so precious and why water management is a major global issue. Competitive exams often ask for approximate percentages to test whether students have general awareness of such key figures.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The focus is on all the water on Earth, including oceans, ice caps, groundwater and surface water.
The question asks for the percentage that is freshwater, meaning not saline.
The options include 3 percent, 4 percent, 0.3 percent and 69 percent.
We are looking for an approximate figure commonly used in textbooks and awareness campaigns.

Concept / Approach:
Standard geographical data indicate that about 97 percent of Earth water is in the oceans and is salty, while roughly 3 percent is freshwater. Of that 3 percent, most is locked up in glaciers and ice caps, and only a small fraction is readily accessible as surface or groundwater. Therefore, the percentage of all water that is freshwater is commonly rounded to about 3 percent. Some of the other numbers given in the options correspond to different subdivisions of freshwater, but they do not represent the total freshwater share of all water.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the headline figure that roughly 97 percent of Earth water is oceans and about 3 percent is freshwater.Step 2: Recognise that the question is about the freshwater portion of all water, so the answer should be around 3 percent.Step 3: Evaluate option A, 3 percent, which matches the commonly accepted approximate value.Step 4: Evaluate option B, 4 percent, which is higher than the usual figure and not widely used in educational materials.Step 5: Evaluate option C, 0.3 percent, which likely refers to the small fraction of freshwater that is easily available as surface water but not to all freshwater combined.Step 6: Evaluate option D, 69 percent, which instead resembles the percentage of freshwater that is stored in ice and glaciers, not the proportion of freshwater among all water on Earth.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, imagine dividing all the water on Earth into one hundred equal parts. About ninety seven of those parts would be salty ocean water, leaving only about three parts as freshwater. This picture is used widely in diagrams and infographics to show how limited freshwater resources are. Sub divisions then show that of those three parts, around two are frozen, leaving only a tiny amount for lakes, rivers and groundwater. This mental model confirms that three percent is the correct approximate proportion of freshwater out of all water on the planet.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B, 4 percent, is wrong because it overstates the amount of freshwater compared to the widely accepted three percent estimate.
Option C, 0.3 percent, is wrong as an answer to this specific question because it refers to the easily accessible surface freshwater fraction, not to the total freshwater including ice and deep groundwater.
Option D, 69 percent, is wrong because it represents the share of total freshwater stored in glaciers and ice caps, not the share of freshwater in all water on Earth.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often mix up the different stages of the standard pie chart that shows water distribution. They may remember 0.3 percent and 69 percent but forget what each number refers to. Another pitfall is to assume that a higher percentage such as 4 percent is correct simply because it sounds more generous. Carefully linking each percentage to the correct level of the diagram all water, freshwater, accessible freshwater helps avoid confusion.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is 3%. Only about three percent of all the water on Earth is freshwater, highlighting the importance of protecting and managing this limited resource.