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Water shortage and pollution are important issues for sustainable development. This paper establishes a model for water security evaluation based on water footprint indexes by using fuzzy comprehensive evaluation and the entropy value method. The model is then applied to the Hunan province in China for 2006–2016. First, the analysis shows that water footprint indexes can fully reflect the water security situation when combined with population facts and economic structure changes. Second, the result illustrates that the water footprint increased by 16.49% between 2006 and 2016, and Hunan's water security is in the more than safe situation. Third, a rise of 18.4% in the agricultural water footprint and the safe grade of food security imply that the efficiency of water management needs improving urgently, especially if we consider the expectation of an expanding population in the next decade. • Model for water security evaluation based on water footprint indexes. • Application to Hunan province of China for the period from 2006 to 2016. • Water footprint of Hunan province grew 16.49% between 2006 and 2016. • Water resources are used efficiently to create GDP, however, inefficiently in agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]