Estimation of global reservoir evaporation losses

•Monthly evaporation losses for global 7242 large reservoirs from 1985 to 2016 are estimated.•Global annual mean reservoir evaporation losses is 339.8 km3, accounting for ∼73% of the municipal water withdrawal in 2010 worldwide.•Global reservoir evaporation shows a significant increasing trend (2.0 km3/a), and middle-income countries contribute ∼80% of the increment.