Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly by country
The dataset provides annual anomalies in land and cropland soil moisture content of the top soil layer compared to the reference period 1981-2010. Exposure indicators to drought have been prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Please see the working paper for a more complete...
Countries reporting
208
Highest
53.87 Percentage change
United Arab Emirates
Lowest
-39.71 Percentage change
Kuwait
Median
-3.9 Percentage change
Years covered
44
1981–2024
Data points
41,095
What the numbers show
Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly is currently reported for 208 countries. The highest value is 53.87 Percentage change in United Arab Emirates; the lowest is -39.71 Percentage change in Kuwait.
The median across all reporting countries is -3.9 Percentage change, and the mean is -4.89 Percentage change.
Over the past decade 57 countries rose and 151 fell. The largest increase was in Rhineland-Palatinate (up 6,760.2%), and the largest decrease in Southern-Kanto (down 11,831.8%).
Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Arab Emirates | 53.87 Percentage change | 2024 | up 359.5% | volatile |
| 2 | Oman | 50.85 Percentage change | 2024 | up 5,710.8% | volatile |
| 3 | Qatar | 12.61 Percentage change | 2024 | up 297.0% | volatile |
| 4 | Niger | 10.15 Percentage change | 2024 | up 491.1% | volatile |
| 5 | Monaco | 7.65 Percentage change | 2024 | up 114.8% | volatile |
| 6 | Luxembourg | 7.48 Percentage change | 2024 | up 1,374.3% | volatile |
| 7 | Réunion | 6.84 Percentage change | 2024 | up 155.5% | volatile |
| 8 | Centre - Val de Loire | 5.92 Percentage change | 2024 | up 41.9% | volatile |
| 9 | Pays de la Loire | 5.4 Percentage change | 2024 | up 95.9% | volatile |
| 10 | Rhineland-Palatinate | 5.3 Percentage change | 2024 | up 6,760.2% | volatile |
| 11 | Normandy | 5.29 Percentage change | 2024 | down 15.3% | volatile |
| 12 | France | 5.25 Percentage change | 2024 | up 193.5% | volatile |
| 13 | Kazakhstan | 4.99 Percentage change | 2024 | up 286.5% | volatile |
| 14 | Belgium | 4.82 Percentage change | 2024 | up 126.7% | volatile |
| 15 | Isle of Man | 4.76 Percentage change | 2024 | up 366.2% | volatile |
| 16 | India | 4.76 Percentage change | 2024 | up 1,396.4% | volatile |
| 17 | Puerto Rico | 4.71 Percentage change | 2024 | up 172.6% | volatile |
| 18 | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 4.43 Percentage change | 2024 | up 233.1% | volatile |
| 19 | Hauts-de-France | 4.17 Percentage change | 2024 | up 78.1% | volatile |
| 20 | Occitanie | 3.94 Percentage change | 2024 | up 146.0% | volatile |
| 21 | North West England | 3.82 Percentage change | 2024 | up 47.1% | volatile |
| 22 | Brittany | 3.59 Percentage change | 2024 | up 63.8% | volatile |
| 23 | San Marino | 3.23 Percentage change | 2024 | down 74.5% | volatile |
| 24 | Corsica (region, level 2) | 2.8 Percentage change | 2024 | down 12.7% | volatile |
| 25 | Grand Est | 2.72 Percentage change | 2024 | up 507.3% | volatile |
| 26 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 2.43 Percentage change | 2024 | up 355.2% | volatile |
| 27 | Martinique | 2.33 Percentage change | 2024 | up 139.7% | volatile |
| 28 | Liechtenstein | 1.94 Percentage change | 2024 | up 31.3% | volatile |
| 29 | Sri Lanka | 1.72 Percentage change | 2024 | down 8.6% | volatile |
| 30 | Denmark | 1.63 Percentage change | 2024 | up 532.9% | volatile |
| 31 | South West England | 1.52 Percentage change | 2024 | down 41.0% | volatile |
| 32 | Dominican Republic | 1.26 Percentage change | 2024 | up 111.0% | volatile |
| 33 | United Kingdom | 1.22 Percentage change | 2024 | down 59.7% | volatile |
| 34 | El Salvador | 1.19 Percentage change | 2024 | up 148.4% | volatile |
| 35 | Andorra | 1.16 Percentage change | 2024 | down 63.7% | volatile |
| 36 | Singapore | 1.15 Percentage change | 2024 | up 117.2% | volatile |
| 37 | Jamaica | 1.09 Percentage change | 2024 | up 112.6% | volatile |
| 38 | Spain | 1.05 Percentage change | 2024 | down 29.1% | volatile |
| 39 | Nicaragua | 0.9954 Percentage change | 2024 | up 248.0% | volatile |
| 40 | Yorkshire and The Humber | 0.9223 Percentage change | 2024 | down 80.4% | volatile |
| 41 | Vanuatu | 0.8656 Percentage change | 2024 | up 206.1% | volatile |
| 42 | Samoa | 0.7346 Percentage change | 2024 | up 678.1% | volatile |
| 43 | Scotland | 0.5264 Percentage change | 2024 | down 81.5% | volatile |
| 44 | New Caledonia | 0.4553 Percentage change | 2024 | up 117.6% | volatile |
| 45 | Solomon Islands | 0.4193 Percentage change | 2024 | down 17.5% | volatile |
| 46 | Burkina Faso | 0.4048 Percentage change | 2024 | up 106.6% | volatile |
| 47 | Germany | 0.2544 Percentage change | 2024 | down 74.7% | volatile |
| 48 | Gambia | 0.1836 Percentage change | 2024 | up 104.1% | volatile |
| 49 | North Rhine-Westphalia | 0.0737 Percentage change | 2024 | down 97.2% | volatile |
| 50 | Portugal | -0.0172 Percentage change | 2024 | down 100.2% | volatile |
| 51 | Schleswig-Holstein | -0.1383 Percentage change | 2024 | up 89.9% | volatile |
| 52 | Cuba | -0.1726 Percentage change | 2024 | up 89.1% | volatile |
| 53 | Italy | -0.3373 Percentage change | 2024 | down 105.1% | volatile |
| 54 | Democratic People’s Republic of Korea | -0.5584 Percentage change | 2024 | up 95.0% | volatile |
| 55 | Hokkaido | -0.6015 Percentage change | 2024 | down 243.2% | volatile |
| 56 | Senegal | -0.6365 Percentage change | 2024 | up 89.8% | volatile |
| 57 | Malaysia | -0.6686 Percentage change | 2024 | up 58.5% | volatile |
| 58 | Mali | -0.6902 Percentage change | 2024 | up 89.5% | volatile |
| 59 | East of England | -0.7914 Percentage change | 2024 | down 130.9% | volatile |
| 60 | Canada | -1.22 Percentage change | 2024 | down 128.2% | volatile |
| 61 | Panama | -1.31 Percentage change | 2024 | down 28.4% | volatile |
| 62 | Sao Tome and Principe | -1.39 Percentage change | 2024 | down 629.6% | volatile |
| 63 | Tohoku | -1.48 Percentage change | 2024 | down 807.3% | volatile |
| 64 | Iraq | -1.69 Percentage change | 2024 | down 119.2% | volatile |
| 65 | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | -1.83 Percentage change | 2024 | down 208.6% | volatile |
| 66 | Belize | -1.84 Percentage change | 2024 | down 139.9% | volatile |
| 67 | Albania | -1.85 Percentage change | 2024 | down 120.8% | volatile |
| 68 | Kenya | -1.88 Percentage change | 2024 | down 212.8% | volatile |
| 69 | Trinidad and Tobago | -1.92 Percentage change | 2024 | up 33.6% | volatile |
| 70 | Finland | -1.95 Percentage change | 2024 | down 408.7% | volatile |
| 71 | Ireland | -2 Percentage change | 2024 | down 309.2% | volatile |
| 72 | Indonesia | -2.07 Percentage change | 2024 | up 19.5% | volatile |
| 73 | Kyrgyzstan | -2.08 Percentage change | 2024 | up 53.8% | volatile |
| 74 | Uzbekistan | -2.08 Percentage change | 2024 | down 792.7% | volatile |
| 75 | East Midlands | -2.21 Percentage change | 2024 | down 167.4% | volatile |
| 76 | Kosovo | -2.21 Percentage change | 2024 | down 140.4% | volatile |
| 77 | Angola | -2.22 Percentage change | 2024 | down 194.8% | volatile |
| 78 | Papua New Guinea | -2.26 Percentage change | 2024 | down 284.7% | volatile |
| 79 | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | -2.27 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,862.2% | volatile |
| 80 | Comoros | -2.28 Percentage change | 2024 | up 68.1% | volatile |
| 81 | Advanced economies | -2.42 Percentage change | 2024 | down 499.6% | volatile |
| 82 | Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur | -2.46 Percentage change | 2024 | down 203.2% | volatile |
| 83 | Sweden | -2.47 Percentage change | 2024 | down 279.5% | volatile |
| 84 | Uruguay | -2.52 Percentage change | 2024 | down 130.9% | volatile |
| 85 | Honduras | -2.54 Percentage change | 2024 | down 581.4% | volatile |
| 86 | China | -2.6 Percentage change | 2024 | up 22.5% | volatile |
| 87 | Kyushu, Okinawa | -2.77 Percentage change | 2024 | down 168.6% | volatile |
| 88 | Afghanistan | -2.79 Percentage change | 2024 | down 296.9% | volatile |
| 89 | Kansai region | -2.83 Percentage change | 2024 | down 307.0% | volatile |
| 90 | West Midlands | -2.85 Percentage change | 2024 | down 226.8% | volatile |
| 91 | OECD | -2.94 Percentage change | 2024 | down 559.1% | volatile |
| 92 | French Guiana | -3.04 Percentage change | 2024 | up 39.5% | volatile |
| 93 | Georgia | -3.08 Percentage change | 2024 | down 116.5% | volatile |
| 94 | Norway | -3.12 Percentage change | 2024 | down 3,035.3% | volatile |
| 95 | Japan | -3.21 Percentage change | 2024 | down 453.2% | volatile |
| 96 | Guinea-Bissau | -3.26 Percentage change | 2024 | down 456.2% | volatile |
| 97 | Thuringia | -3.55 Percentage change | 2024 | down 261.7% | volatile |
| 98 | United States | -3.62 Percentage change | 2024 | down 491.2% | volatile |
| 99 | Costa Rica | -3.64 Percentage change | 2024 | down 197.9% | volatile |
| 100 | Haiti | -3.67 Percentage change | 2024 | up 69.3% | volatile |
| 101 | Burundi | -3.8 Percentage change | 2024 | down 339.2% | volatile |
| 102 | Chile | -3.81 Percentage change | 2024 | down 613.1% | volatile |
| 103 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | -3.86 Percentage change | 2024 | down 281.3% | volatile |
| 104 | Mongolia | -3.89 Percentage change | 2024 | up 26.7% | volatile |
| 105 | Myanmar | -3.91 Percentage change | 2024 | down 23.2% | volatile |
| 106 | Saudi Arabia | -3.96 Percentage change | 2024 | up 72.8% | volatile |
| 107 | Chugoku | -3.98 Percentage change | 2024 | down 232.3% | volatile |
| 108 | Australia | -4.11 Percentage change | 2024 | up 8.1% | volatile |
| 109 | Australia and New Zealand | -4.22 Percentage change | 2024 | up 4.3% | volatile |
| 110 | Faroe Islands | -4.28 Percentage change | 2023 | down 255.5% | volatile |
| 111 | Czechia | -4.29 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,103.1% | volatile |
| 112 | Mauritius | -4.36 Percentage change | 2024 | down 254.8% | volatile |
| 113 | Chinese Taipei | -4.56 Percentage change | 2024 | down 868.9% | volatile |
| 114 | North East England | -4.65 Percentage change | 2024 | down 219.5% | volatile |
| 115 | Chad | -4.65 Percentage change | 2024 | up 12.1% | volatile |
| 116 | Nigeria | -4.67 Percentage change | 2024 | down 329.8% | volatile |
| 117 | Pakistan | -4.74 Percentage change | 2024 | up 2.9% | volatile |
| 118 | Austria | -4.85 Percentage change | 2024 | down 242.4% | volatile |
| 119 | Thailand | -4.93 Percentage change | 2024 | down 126.4% | volatile |
| 120 | South East England | -5.22 Percentage change | 2024 | down 290.8% | volatile |
| 121 | Armenia | -5.33 Percentage change | 2024 | down 429.6% | volatile |
| 122 | Shikoku | -5.49 Percentage change | 2024 | down 284.1% | volatile |
| 123 | Nepal | -5.59 Percentage change | 2024 | down 375.2% | volatile |
| 124 | Cambodia | -5.73 Percentage change | 2024 | down 233.1% | volatile |
| 125 | Philippines | -5.82 Percentage change | 2024 | down 300.8% | volatile |
| 126 | Bangladesh | -5.96 Percentage change | 2024 | up 28.8% | volatile |
| 127 | Guyana | -5.97 Percentage change | 2024 | down 967.9% | volatile |
| 128 | Colombia | -5.98 Percentage change | 2024 | down 105.2% | volatile |
| 129 | Gabon | -6.16 Percentage change | 2024 | down 280.0% | volatile |
| 130 | Russian Federation | -6.35 Percentage change | 2024 | down 0.8% | volatile |
| 131 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | -6.59 Percentage change | 2024 | down 193.0% | volatile |
| 132 | Lebanon | -6.62 Percentage change | 2024 | down 72.2% | volatile |
| 133 | Suriname | -6.65 Percentage change | 2024 | down 2,961.8% | volatile |
| 134 | Malta | -6.82 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,165.8% | volatile |
| 135 | Tajikistan | -6.87 Percentage change | 2024 | down 180.1% | volatile |
| 136 | Cyprus | -6.98 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,575.6% | volatile |
| 137 | Rwanda | -7 Percentage change | 2024 | down 695.1% | volatile |
| 138 | Azerbaijan | -7.19 Percentage change | 2024 | down 21.1% | volatile |
| 139 | Hungary | -7.27 Percentage change | 2024 | down 211.8% | volatile |
| 140 | Belarus | -7.37 Percentage change | 2024 | down 8.2% | volatile |
| 141 | Southern-Kanto | -7.73 Percentage change | 2024 | down 11,831.8% | volatile |
| 142 | North Macedonia | -7.73 Percentage change | 2024 | down 177.7% | volatile |
| 143 | Saxony-Anhalt | -7.89 Percentage change | 2024 | down 436.5% | volatile |
| 144 | Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | -7.99 Percentage change | 2024 | down 57.7% | volatile |
| 145 | Peru | -8.05 Percentage change | 2024 | down 4,982.6% | volatile |
| 146 | Switzerland | -8.26 Percentage change | 2024 | down 944.1% | volatile |
| 147 | Northern-Kanto, Koshin | -8.33 Percentage change | 2024 | down 4,421.6% | volatile |
| 148 | Eritrea | -8.37 Percentage change | 2024 | down 570.3% | volatile |
| 149 | Somalia | -8.41 Percentage change | 2024 | up 8.0% | volatile |
| 150 | Ecuador | -8.54 Percentage change | 2024 | down 3,802.3% | volatile |
| 151 | Guatemala | -8.55 Percentage change | 2024 | down 594.8% | volatile |
| 152 | Bulgaria | -8.72 Percentage change | 2024 | down 185.2% | volatile |
| 153 | Greece | -8.78 Percentage change | 2024 | down 216.6% | volatile |
| 154 | Brazil | -8.85 Percentage change | 2024 | down 133.6% | volatile |
| 155 | Uganda | -9.05 Percentage change | 2024 | down 63.8% | volatile |
| 156 | Yemen | -9.26 Percentage change | 2024 | down 13.6% | volatile |
| 157 | Malawi | -9.3 Percentage change | 2024 | down 189.6% | volatile |
| 158 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | -9.34 Percentage change | 2024 | down 332.4% | volatile |
| 159 | Liberia | -9.35 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,349.7% | volatile |
| 160 | Cameroon | -9.58 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,526.7% | volatile |
| 161 | Egypt | -9.8 Percentage change | 2024 | down 767.1% | volatile |
| 162 | Guinea | -10.04 Percentage change | 2024 | down 2,010.9% | volatile |
| 163 | Côte d’Ivoire | -10.1 Percentage change | 2024 | down 4,158.0% | volatile |
| 164 | Ghana | -10.12 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,356.4% | volatile |
| 165 | French Polynesia | -10.22 Percentage change | 2024 | down 297.6% | volatile |
| 166 | Congo | -10.3 Percentage change | 2024 | down 495.7% | volatile |
| 167 | Sudan | -10.59 Percentage change | 2024 | down 430.6% | volatile |
| 168 | Northern Mariana Islands | -10.62 Percentage change | 2024 | down 155.2% | volatile |
| 169 | Sierra Leone | -11 Percentage change | 2024 | down 5,186.5% | volatile |
| 170 | Romania | -11.25 Percentage change | 2024 | down 665.1% | volatile |
| 171 | New Zealand | -11.63 Percentage change | 2024 | down 5,754.0% | volatile |
| 172 | Montenegro | -11.77 Percentage change | 2024 | down 251.7% | volatile |
| 173 | Turkmenistan | -11.78 Percentage change | 2024 | down 79.9% | volatile |
| 174 | Tunisia | -11.91 Percentage change | 2024 | down 670.1% | volatile |
| 175 | Ukraine | -12.07 Percentage change | 2024 | down 35.6% | volatile |
| 176 | Northern Ireland | -12.18 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,047.3% | volatile |
| 177 | Benin | -12.23 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,026.0% | volatile |
| 178 | South Africa | -12.27 Percentage change | 2024 | down 73.3% | volatile |
| 179 | Argentina | -12.38 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,069.0% | volatile |
| 180 | Serbia | -12.53 Percentage change | 2024 | down 234.1% | volatile |
| 181 | Zambia | -12.69 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,974.3% | volatile |
| 182 | Toukai | -12.94 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,371.8% | volatile |
| 183 | Hokuriku | -13.22 Percentage change | 2024 | down 2,630.5% | volatile |
| 184 | Morocco | -13.23 Percentage change | 2024 | down 700.5% | volatile |
| 185 | Mozambique | -13.77 Percentage change | 2024 | down 292.5% | volatile |
| 186 | Togo | -13.93 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,626.4% | volatile |
| 187 | Palestine, State of | -14.08 Percentage change | 2024 | down 102.1% | volatile |
| 188 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | -14.22 Percentage change | 2024 | down 743.6% | volatile |
| 189 | Israel | -14.64 Percentage change | 2024 | down 218.5% | volatile |
| 190 | Saxony | -15.25 Percentage change | 2024 | down 2,205.7% | volatile |
| 191 | Jordan | -16.06 Percentage change | 2024 | down 32.4% | volatile |
| 192 | Libya | -16.38 Percentage change | 2024 | down 238.7% | volatile |
| 193 | Algeria | -16.45 Percentage change | 2024 | down 534.0% | volatile |
| 194 | Mexico | -16.64 Percentage change | 2024 | down 296.4% | volatile |
| 195 | Paraguay | -17.27 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,610.3% | volatile |
| 196 | South Sudan | -17.7 Percentage change | 2024 | down 310.9% | volatile |
| 197 | Bhutan | -18.02 Percentage change | 2024 | down 851.2% | volatile |
| 198 | Zimbabwe | -19.02 Percentage change | 2024 | down 673.1% | volatile |
| 199 | Guadeloupe | -19.86 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,522.1% | volatile |
| 200 | Wales | -19.9 Percentage change | 2024 | down 840.1% | volatile |
| 201 | Central African Republic | -21.11 Percentage change | 2024 | down 208.0% | volatile |
| 202 | Botswana | -21.81 Percentage change | 2024 | down 312.1% | volatile |
| 203 | Namibia | -26.2 Percentage change | 2024 | down 394.6% | volatile |
| 204 | Greater London | -27.08 Percentage change | 2024 | down 713.9% | volatile |
| 205 | Barbados | -31.2 Percentage change | 2024 | down 547.9% | volatile |
| 206 | Brunei Darussalam | -37.06 Percentage change | 2024 | down 1,737.4% | volatile |
| 207 | Hong Kong (China) | -38.11 Percentage change | 2024 | down 9,663.5% | volatile |
| 208 | Kuwait | -39.71 Percentage change | 2024 | down 232.3% | volatile |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Netherlands 0.8288 Percentage change
- Korea 0.248 Percentage change
- Ethiopia -1.55 Percentage change
- Mauritania -2.27 Percentage change
- Slovak Republic -2.9 Percentage change
- Fiji -5.58 Percentage change
- Lithuania -6.58 Percentage change
- Equatorial Guinea -7.05 Percentage change
- Madagascar -7.67 Percentage change
- Poland -7.9 Percentage change
- Eswatini -8.54 Percentage change
- Slovenia -10.56 Percentage change
About this data
The dataset provides annual anomalies in land and cropland soil moisture content of the top soil layer compared to the reference period 1981-2010. Exposure indicators to drought have been prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Please see the working paper for a more complete description of the methods. The datasets span the period 1981-2022 and is the result of the use of a variety of geospatial data sources, including the ERA5-Land averaged monthly data of volumetric soil moisture and ESA CCI land cover data. Average anomalies have been calculated for both land and cropland exposure to drought. The dataset has a global coverage on a national level; on the sub-national TL2 level (i.e. large subnational regions) results are reported for all OECD countries as well as for Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and South Africa. A number of aggregates are included: Euro area, European Union, Advanced economies, Emerging market economies, G7, G20, OECD, OECD Europe, OECD Asia Oceania, OECD Americas and the LAC region. Data source(s): Copernicus Climate Change Initiative land cover data and Copernicus Climate Data Store monthly soil moisture data (ERA5). Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org Database documentation