If it did not rain anywhere on Earth for five years, the planet would undergo a catastrophic transformation. The consequences would be progressive, moving from agricultural collapse to the total breakdown of modern civilization.

Here is a breakdown of what would happen:

1. The Immediate Aftermath (Months 1–6)

• Agricultural Collapse: Most staple crops (wheat, corn, soy) would fail within the first few months. Food prices would skyrocket, leading to global hoarding and market instability.
• Water Rationing: Reservoirs, which rely on seasonal rainfall, would begin to hit critical lows. Municipalities would implement extreme water restrictions.
• Wildfire Surge: With vegetation drying out rapidly, the risk of massive, uncontrollable wildfires would increase exponentially, destroying forests and encroaching on urban areas.

2. The Mid-Term Crisis (Years 1–2)

• Ecosystem Collapse: Freshwater ecosystems (rivers, lakes, and wetlands) would dry up. Fish populations would vanish, and land-based animals would begin to die off in massive numbers due to dehydration and starvation.
• Energy Shortages: Hydroelectric power, which provides a significant portion of the world's electricity, would cease to function as river levels drop below intake thresholds.
• Economic Breakdown: As food, water, and electricity become scarce, global supply chains would shatter. Nations would likely close borders to protect their remaining resources.

3. The Long-Term Devastation (Years 3–5)

• Desertification: Large swaths of fertile land would turn into dust bowls. The lack of soil moisture would lead to intense dust storms, further degrading the air quality and visibility.
• Mass Migration: The "climate refugee" crisis would reach an unprecedented scale. Billions of people would be forced to flee regions that are no longer habitable, leading to geopolitical conflict over the few remaining water sources.
• Human Health Crisis: With the lack of fresh water for sanitation, hygiene-related diseases (cholera, dysentery) would become rampant. The combination of famine and disease would lead to a catastrophic decline in the human population.

4. The Biological Reality

• Plant Extinction: Most non-succulent plant life would be dead by the end of year three. Without plants to produce oxygen and stabilize the soil, the atmosphere and the surface of the Earth would change drastically.
• The "Dead Planet" Scenario: By year five, the Earth would resemble a barren, arid wasteland. While some hardy bacteria and deep-dwelling organisms might survive, the complex web of life that supports human, animal, and most plant existence would be effectively extinguished.

In summary: A five-year global drought would be an extinction-level event for human civilization and the majority of Earth's current biodiversity. The lack of water is not just a resource problem; it is the fundamental disruption of the biological processes that sustain life on our planet.