The title for the fastest flowing waterfall (by average annual volume) belongs to the Boyoma Falls (formerly Stanley Falls) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While they are a series of cataracts rather than a single vertical drop, they move an incredible 17,000 cubic meters (600,000 cubic feet) of water per second. If you are looking for the most powerful "vertical" curtain of water, Niagara Falls often takes the spotlight in 2026 for North America, but Khone Phapheng Falls in Laos actually holds the record for the greatest volume in Southeast Asia. The speed and force of these falls are so immense that they are largely unnavigable. In 2026, these sites are increasingly being studied for their "hydrokinetic" energy potential. It is a staggering fact that the flow rate at Boyoma is so fast that it could fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in less than a fraction of a second, highlighting the raw, kinetic power of the Congo River.