Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Malawi
Malawi: Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was -6.46 Percentage change in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Malawi, 1981–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
In 2024, exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Malawi stood at -6.46 Percentage change.
The figure is down 1,328.1% on the previous year and down 145.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Malawi peaked at 7.38 Percentage change in 1986 and was at its lowest, -8.17 Percentage change, in 2005.
That places Malawi 141st out of 193 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 — Land soil moisture anomaly in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0.0701 Percentage change | — |
| 1982 | 6.21 Percentage change | +8759.5% |
| 1983 | -2.32 Percentage change | -137.3% |
| 1984 | 2.58 Percentage change | -211.2% |
| 1985 | 6.07 Percentage change | +135.2% |
| 1986 | 7.38 Percentage change | +21.6% |
| 1987 | -3.42 Percentage change | -146.4% |
| 1988 | 1.01 Percentage change | -129.5% |
| 1989 | 6.46 Percentage change | +539.2% |
| 1990 | -3.99 Percentage change | -161.7% |
| 1991 | 1.5 Percentage change | -137.6% |
| 1992 | -5.84 Percentage change | -489.5% |
| 1993 | 0.0245 Percentage change | -100.4% |
| 1994 | -5.58 Percentage change | -22861.8% |
| 1995 | -5.87 Percentage change | +5.3% |
| 1996 | -0.544 Percentage change | -90.7% |
| 1997 | 5.15 Percentage change | -1047.4% |
| 1998 | -5.01 Percentage change | -197.3% |
| 1999 | -0.7313 Percentage change | -85.4% |
| 2000 | 5.9 Percentage change | -907.1% |
| 2001 | -1.19 Percentage change | -120.2% |
| 2002 | -0.6188 Percentage change | -48.1% |
| 2003 | -0.7437 Percentage change | +20.2% |
| 2004 | 3.66 Percentage change | -591.6% |
| 2005 | -8.17 Percentage change | -323.5% |
| 2006 | 1.53 Percentage change | -118.8% |
| 2007 | 0.611 Percentage change | -60.2% |
| 2008 | -3.66 Percentage change | -698.3% |
| 2009 | -0.0009 Percentage change | -100.0% |
| 2010 | -0.4671 Percentage change | +50116.9% |
| 2011 | -1.14 Percentage change | +144.0% |
| 2012 | -0.9644 Percentage change | -15.4% |
| 2013 | -3.14 Percentage change | +225.4% |
| 2014 | -2.63 Percentage change | -16.2% |
| 2015 | -3.92 Percentage change | +49.1% |
| 2016 | -4.24 Percentage change | +8.2% |
| 2017 | 2.71 Percentage change | -163.9% |
| 2018 | 0.9591 Percentage change | -64.6% |
| 2019 | 1.76 Percentage change | +83.6% |
| 2020 | -5.08 Percentage change | -388.2% |
| 2021 | -3.92 Percentage change | -22.8% |
| 2022 | 1.79 Percentage change | -145.7% |
| 2023 | 0.5262 Percentage change | -70.6% |
| 2024 | -6.46 Percentage change | -1328.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's -6.46 Percentage change is below the median for low income countries, which is -4.64 Percentage change, 1.4× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Malawi's -6.46 Percentage change is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -6.75 Percentage change, 96% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | -50116.9% | -0.0009 Percentage change | -0.4671 Percentage change |
| 1994 | -22861.8% | 0.0245 Percentage change | -5.58 Percentage change |
| 1982 | +8759.5% | 0.0701 Percentage change | 6.21 Percentage change |
| 2024 | -1328.1% | 0.5262 Percentage change | -6.46 Percentage change |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.67 Percentage change | -3.42 Percentage change | 7.38 Percentage change | 9 |
| 1990s | -2.09 Percentage change | -5.87 Percentage change | 5.15 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.268 Percentage change | -8.17 Percentage change | 5.9 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.11 Percentage change | -4.24 Percentage change | 2.71 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -2.63 Percentage change | -6.46 Percentage change | 1.79 Percentage change | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More environment data for Malawi
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -0.9153 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -0.8098 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.07 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.65 % 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 5.3 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Malawi?
- Exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Malawi was -6.46 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 7.38 Percentage change in 1986.
- What is the lowest exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was -8.17 Percentage change in 2005.
- How does Malawi rank for exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- Malawi ranks 141st out of 193 countries with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 145.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi 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