Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Iceland
Iceland: Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was 2.52 Percentage change in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Iceland, 1981–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
The most recent figure for exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Iceland is 2.52 Percentage change, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 238.7% on the previous year and up 331.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Iceland peaked at 2.93 Percentage change in 1989 and was at its lowest, -4.65 Percentage change, in 2012.
That places Iceland 33rd out of 193 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Iceland, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1.55 Percentage change | — |
| 1982 | 1.46 Percentage change | -5.9% |
| 1983 | 1.86 Percentage change | +27.7% |
| 1984 | 0.0584 Percentage change | -96.9% |
| 1985 | 0.4134 Percentage change | +607.3% |
| 1986 | -0.8205 Percentage change | -298.5% |
| 1987 | -0.6439 Percentage change | -21.5% |
| 1988 | -0.5919 Percentage change | -8.1% |
| 1989 | 2.93 Percentage change | -594.4% |
| 1990 | 0.8426 Percentage change | -71.2% |
| 1991 | -1.07 Percentage change | -226.6% |
| 1992 | 0.7959 Percentage change | -174.6% |
| 1993 | 0.2861 Percentage change | -64.1% |
| 1994 | -1.4 Percentage change | -589.2% |
| 1995 | -2.35 Percentage change | +67.9% |
| 1996 | 0.2897 Percentage change | -112.3% |
| 1997 | 2.11 Percentage change | +630.0% |
| 1998 | -0.0576 Percentage change | -102.7% |
| 1999 | -0.7156 Percentage change | +1142.8% |
| 2000 | -1.68 Percentage change | +135.3% |
| 2001 | 1.6 Percentage change | -194.7% |
| 2002 | 1.07 Percentage change | -32.9% |
| 2003 | 2.12 Percentage change | +98.1% |
| 2004 | -1.52 Percentage change | -171.9% |
| 2005 | -0.6922 Percentage change | -54.5% |
| 2006 | 1.22 Percentage change | -275.8% |
| 2007 | -0.6066 Percentage change | -149.8% |
| 2008 | -3.12 Percentage change | +413.7% |
| 2009 | -0.6859 Percentage change | -78.0% |
| 2010 | -2.65 Percentage change | +286.1% |
| 2011 | -0.427 Percentage change | -83.9% |
| 2012 | -4.65 Percentage change | +990.0% |
| 2013 | -0.4389 Percentage change | -90.6% |
| 2014 | 0.5833 Percentage change | -232.9% |
| 2015 | 0.7064 Percentage change | +21.1% |
| 2016 | 0.3182 Percentage change | -55.0% |
| 2017 | 0.7617 Percentage change | +139.4% |
| 2018 | 2.77 Percentage change | +263.1% |
| 2019 | -2.1 Percentage change | -175.9% |
| 2020 | 0.7719 Percentage change | -136.8% |
| 2021 | -2.75 Percentage change | -456.7% |
| 2022 | 2.09 Percentage change | -175.9% |
| 2023 | -1.82 Percentage change | -186.8% |
| 2024 | 2.52 Percentage change | -238.7% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 2.52 Percentage change is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.775 Percentage change, 3.2× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 2.52 Percentage change is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.6762 Percentage change, 3.7× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.6905 Percentage change | -0.8205 Percentage change | 2.93 Percentage change | 9 |
| 1990s | -0.126 Percentage change | -2.35 Percentage change | 2.11 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.2306 Percentage change | -3.12 Percentage change | 2.12 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.5131 Percentage change | -4.65 Percentage change | 2.77 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1624 Percentage change | -2.75 Percentage change | 2.52 Percentage change | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 30 El Salvador 2.89 Percentage change compare
- 31 Barbados 2.81 Percentage change compare
- 31 Ethiopia -4.52 Percentage change compare
- 32 Andorra 2.7 Percentage change compare
- 33 Equatorial Guinea -5.19 Percentage change compare
- 34 Australia and New Zealand 2.48 Percentage change compare
- 35 United Kingdom 2.35 Percentage change compare
- 36 Bahamas 2.27 Percentage change compare
- 36 Eswatini -5.89 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Iceland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.587 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.47 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8549 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -1.93 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Iceland?
- Exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Iceland was 2.52 Percentage change in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 2.93 Percentage change in 1989.
- What is the lowest exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was -4.65 Percentage change in 2012.
- How does Iceland rank for exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- Iceland ranks 33rd out of 193 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 331.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Exposure to drought — Land 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