Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa
Western Africa: Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was -4.77 Percentage change in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa, 1981–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
Western Africa recorded -4.77 Percentage change for exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 28.7% on the previous year and down 436.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa peaked at 5.59 Percentage change in 1994 and was at its lowest, -8.63 Percentage change, in 2021.
Western Africa ranks 32nd 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.8359 Percentage change | -5.1 Percentage change | 4.25 Percentage change | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.56 Percentage change | -0.8439 Percentage change | 5.59 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -2.47 Percentage change | -4.78 Percentage change | 1.31 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.7476 Percentage change | -4.23 Percentage change | 2.28 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -5.66 Percentage change | -8.63 Percentage change | -3.7 Percentage change | 5 |
Countries ranked near Western Africa
- 29 Australia 2.91 Percentage change compare
- 30 El Salvador 2.89 Percentage change compare
- 31 Barbados 2.81 Percentage change compare
- 32 Andorra 2.7 Percentage change compare
- 33 Iceland 2.52 Percentage change compare
- 34 Australia and New Zealand 2.48 Percentage change compare
- 35 United Kingdom 2.35 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Western Africa
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -6.69 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.59 Percentage change (2025)
- Temperature change 1.37 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.311 °C (2025)
- Wood fuel — Production 221.11 million m3 (2024)
- Roundwood, coniferous — Production 51,000 m3 (2024)
- Wood fuel, coniferous — Production 0 m3 (2024)
- Wood fuel, non-coniferous — Production 221.11 million m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Production 20.68 million m3 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa?
- Exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa was -4.77 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 Western Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 5.59 Percentage change in 1994.
- What is the lowest exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Western Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -8.63 Percentage change in 2021.
- How does Western Africa rank for exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- Western Africa ranks 32nd out of 67 groups with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Western Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 436.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Western Africa 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