How other countries do it

Published 23 October 2026

Most of Europe agrees on 3 days, or 72 hours. Sweden asks for 1 week, and Germany for 10 days.

How long, and how much water
Country	Plan for	Water
UK	3 days	3 litres per person per day, for drinking
Ireland	3 days	2 to 3 litres per person per day, for drinking
France	3 days	6 litres of bottled water per person, for 72 hours
Netherlands	72 hours	No figure given
European Union	72 hours	No figure given
Sweden	1 week	3 to 5 litres per person per day
Finland	72 hours	About 2 litres per person per day, more for cooking and washing
Germany	10 days	About 14 litres of drinks per person per week

The full comparison, with every country’s official links, is on our official guidance page.

Ideas worth borrowing

Sweden: pick one room and keep it warm. Hang blankets over the windows. There’s more in staying warm in a winter power cut.
Ireland: a booklet posted to every home, in Braille and audio too. It also suggests saving a photo of your checklist and numbers on your phone.
France: cash is in the kit, because cash machines may not work.
Finland: keep a few empty containers with lids, so you can collect water from a tanker. If you’d rather have them ready filled, our pick is the PowerChem 20-litre jerry cans (Ad).
Germany: asks for 10 days if you can, and says even a few days of supplies helps.

Why the UK says 3 days

The UK government says the 3 days at the heart of Be Ready is the same target used in France, Ireland and the Netherlands. It worked with those countries, and with local resilience forums, to shape the advice.

If you want to go further, Sweden’s week is a good next step. The calculator does 7 days as well as 3.

How other countries do it

Ideas worth borrowing

Why the UK says 3 days

Sources

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