Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Middle East and North Africa
Middle East and North Africa: Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly was -10.75 Percentage change in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Middle East and North Africa, 1981–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
In 2024, exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Middle East and North Africa stood at -10.75 Percentage change.
The figure is down 9.8% on the previous year and down 650.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Middle East and North Africa peaked at 9.04 Percentage change in 2018 and was at its lowest, -11.9 Percentage change, in 2021.
Middle East and North Africa ranks 47th of 67 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Middle East and North Africa, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | -0.5527 Percentage change | — |
| 1982 | 7.56 Percentage change | -1468.4% |
| 1983 | -3.4 Percentage change | -145.0% |
| 1984 | 0.0911 Percentage change | -102.7% |
| 1985 | 2.35 Percentage change | +2481.3% |
| 1986 | 6.41 Percentage change | +172.6% |
| 1987 | 1.88 Percentage change | -70.8% |
| 1988 | 2.82 Percentage change | +50.4% |
| 1989 | -1.09 Percentage change | -138.6% |
| 1990 | -2.41 Percentage change | +121.8% |
| 1991 | 3.91 Percentage change | -262.0% |
| 1992 | 2.35 Percentage change | -39.8% |
| 1993 | 2.14 Percentage change | -9.1% |
| 1994 | 0.0992 Percentage change | -95.4% |
| 1995 | -3.1 Percentage change | -3228.3% |
| 1996 | 8.24 Percentage change | -365.3% |
| 1997 | 4.63 Percentage change | -43.8% |
| 1998 | -3.94 Percentage change | -185.2% |
| 1999 | -5.97 Percentage change | +51.3% |
| 2000 | -8.55 Percentage change | +43.2% |
| 2001 | -6.62 Percentage change | -22.6% |
| 2002 | -3.45 Percentage change | -47.9% |
| 2003 | 6.61 Percentage change | -291.7% |
| 2004 | 3.21 Percentage change | -51.5% |
| 2005 | -4.75 Percentage change | -248.0% |
| 2006 | 0.7795 Percentage change | -116.4% |
| 2007 | -3.19 Percentage change | -508.7% |
| 2008 | -4.16 Percentage change | +30.7% |
| 2009 | -0.2882 Percentage change | -93.1% |
| 2010 | -1.61 Percentage change | +460.3% |
| 2011 | 2.58 Percentage change | -259.5% |
| 2012 | -0.9915 Percentage change | -138.5% |
| 2013 | 0.4197 Percentage change | -142.3% |
| 2014 | 1.95 Percentage change | +365.5% |
| 2015 | 0.3181 Percentage change | -83.7% |
| 2016 | -4.92 Percentage change | -1646.6% |
| 2017 | -9.06 Percentage change | +84.1% |
| 2018 | 9.04 Percentage change | -199.8% |
| 2019 | 3.39 Percentage change | -62.5% |
| 2020 | -2.59 Percentage change | -176.3% |
| 2021 | -11.9 Percentage change | +360.2% |
| 2022 | -11.25 Percentage change | -5.5% |
| 2023 | -9.79 Percentage change | -13.0% |
| 2024 | -10.75 Percentage change | +9.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.79 Percentage change | -3.4 Percentage change | 7.56 Percentage change | 9 |
| 1990s | 0.5939 Percentage change | -5.97 Percentage change | 8.24 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -2.04 Percentage change | -8.55 Percentage change | 6.61 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1115 Percentage change | -9.06 Percentage change | 9.04 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -9.26 Percentage change | -11.9 Percentage change | -2.59 Percentage change | 5 |
Countries ranked near Middle East and North Africa
- 44 Sao Tome and Principe -1.39 Percentage change compare
- 45 Iraq -1.69 Percentage change compare
- 46 Belize -1.84 Percentage change compare
- 47 Albania -1.85 Percentage change compare
- 48 Kenya -1.88 Percentage change compare
- 49 Moldova -11.19 Percentage change compare
- 49 Trinidad and Tobago -1.92 Percentage change compare
- 50 Finland -1.95 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Middle East and North Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -16.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -31.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -15.82 Percentage change (2024)
- River flooding exposure — Cropland share exposed to river flooding 8.83 Percentage of agricultural land area (2022)
- Land cover and land cover change — Grassland 5,293 Square kilometres (2022)
- Land cover and land cover change — Loss of cropland 15,015 Square kilometres (2022)
- Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces 15,827 Square kilometres (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Middle East and North Africa?
- Exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Middle East and North Africa was -10.75 Percentage change in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly recorded in Middle East and North Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9.04 Percentage change in 2018.
- What is the lowest exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly recorded in Middle East and North Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -11.9 Percentage change in 2021.
- How does Middle East and North Africa rank for exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly?
- Middle East and North Africa ranks 47th out of 67 groups with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Middle East and North Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 650.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Middle East and North Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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