This study estimates the annual and monthly mean values of continental freshwater discharge into the oceans at 1° resolution using multiple methods. The most accurate estimate is based on streamflow data from the world's largest 921 rivers, supplemented with estimates from unmonitored areas using runoff-to-drainage area ratios. River transport model (RTM) simulations forced by runoff fields are used to derive river mouth outflow from downstream gauge records. Separate estimates are also made using RTM simulations forced by three different runoff fields: observed streamflow and a water balance model, and precipitation minus evaporation (P-E) computed from atmospheric moisture budgets using reanalyses from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP–NCAR) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Compared to previous estimates, this study improves the extension of observed discharge downstream to river mouths, accounts for unmonitored/uncaptured freshwater runoff at correct locations, and partitions continental discharge by approximately 19%. The global continental discharge estimate is 37,288 ± 662 km³ yr⁻¹, which is 7.6% of global precipitation or 35% of terrestrial precipitation. The peak discharges into the Arctic, Pacific, and global oceans occur in June, while the Atlantic and Indian Oceans peak in May and August, respectively. Snow accumulation and melt significantly affect the annual cycle of discharge into all ocean basins except the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The discharge and its latitudinal distribution implied by the observation-based runoff and the ECMWF reanalysis-based P-E agree well with the river-based estimates, whereas the discharge implied by the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis-based P-E has a negative bias.This study estimates the annual and monthly mean values of continental freshwater discharge into the oceans at 1° resolution using multiple methods. The most accurate estimate is based on streamflow data from the world's largest 921 rivers, supplemented with estimates from unmonitored areas using runoff-to-drainage area ratios. River transport model (RTM) simulations forced by runoff fields are used to derive river mouth outflow from downstream gauge records. Separate estimates are also made using RTM simulations forced by three different runoff fields: observed streamflow and a water balance model, and precipitation minus evaporation (P-E) computed from atmospheric moisture budgets using reanalyses from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction–National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP–NCAR) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Compared to previous estimates, this study improves the extension of observed discharge downstream to river mouths, accounts for unmonitored/uncaptured freshwater runoff at correct locations, and partitions continental discharge by approximately 19%. The global continental discharge estimate is 37,288 ± 662 km³ yr⁻¹, which is 7.6% of global precipitation or 35% of terrestrial precipitation. The peak discharges into the Arctic, Pacific, and global oceans occur in June, while the Atlantic and Indian Oceans peak in May and August, respectively. Snow accumulation and melt significantly affect the annual cycle of discharge into all ocean basins except the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The discharge and its latitudinal distribution implied by the observation-based runoff and the ECMWF reanalysis-based P-E agree well with the river-based estimates, whereas the discharge implied by the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis-based P-E has a negative bias.