Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries
Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries: Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was -4.15 Percentage change in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries, 1981–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries recorded -4.15 Percentage change for exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in 2024.
The figure is down 280.4% on the previous year and down 1,050.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries peaked at 12.86 Percentage change in 1997 and was at its lowest, -12.84 Percentage change, in 2021.
That places Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries 466th out of 719 regions 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 Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 0.0313 Percentage change | — |
| 1982 | 8.19 Percentage change | +26072.0% |
| 1983 | 6.53 Percentage change | -20.3% |
| 1984 | -2.8 Percentage change | -142.8% |
| 1985 | 0.371 Percentage change | -113.3% |
| 1986 | 1.47 Percentage change | +295.1% |
| 1987 | -0.2371 Percentage change | -116.2% |
| 1988 | 8.13 Percentage change | -3530.8% |
| 1989 | -1.57 Percentage change | -119.3% |
| 1990 | -5.32 Percentage change | +239.2% |
| 1991 | -0.6817 Percentage change | -87.2% |
| 1992 | 5.63 Percentage change | -925.9% |
| 1993 | 4.29 Percentage change | -23.8% |
| 1994 | -0.883 Percentage change | -120.6% |
| 1995 | 5.52 Percentage change | -725.4% |
| 1996 | 9.37 Percentage change | +69.7% |
| 1997 | 12.86 Percentage change | +37.3% |
| 1998 | 0.9172 Percentage change | -92.9% |
| 1999 | -6.77 Percentage change | -837.7% |
| 2000 | -6.68 Percentage change | -1.3% |
| 2001 | -5.88 Percentage change | -12.0% |
| 2002 | -1.13 Percentage change | -80.8% |
| 2003 | -1.34 Percentage change | +18.9% |
| 2004 | -1.38 Percentage change | +2.8% |
| 2005 | -2.41 Percentage change | +74.7% |
| 2006 | -0.7809 Percentage change | -67.6% |
| 2007 | -5.7 Percentage change | +629.9% |
| 2008 | -9.4 Percentage change | +64.8% |
| 2009 | -3.18 Percentage change | -66.2% |
| 2010 | -7.18 Percentage change | +125.9% |
| 2011 | -1.84 Percentage change | -74.4% |
| 2012 | -5.92 Percentage change | +221.6% |
| 2013 | -2.61 Percentage change | -55.9% |
| 2014 | -0.3612 Percentage change | -86.1% |
| 2015 | -0.4163 Percentage change | +15.3% |
| 2016 | -3.97 Percentage change | +853.0% |
| 2017 | -8.41 Percentage change | +112.0% |
| 2018 | 4.38 Percentage change | -152.0% |
| 2019 | 1.2 Percentage change | -72.5% |
| 2020 | -3.52 Percentage change | -392.3% |
| 2021 | -12.84 Percentage change | +265.2% |
| 2022 | -8.49 Percentage change | -33.8% |
| 2023 | 2.3 Percentage change | -127.1% |
| 2024 | -4.15 Percentage change | -280.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.23 Percentage change | -2.8 Percentage change | 8.19 Percentage change | 9 |
| 1990s | 2.49 Percentage change | -6.77 Percentage change | 12.86 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -3.79 Percentage change | -9.4 Percentage change | -0.7809 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -2.51 Percentage change | -8.41 Percentage change | 4.38 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -5.34 Percentage change | -12.84 Percentage change | 2.3 Percentage change | 5 |
More environment data for Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -9.17 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -15.41 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -4.56 Percentage change (2024)
- River flooding exposure — Cropland share exposed to river flooding 6.03 Percentage of agricultural land area (2022)
- Land cover and land cover change — Grassland 91,325 Square kilometres (2022)
- Land cover and land cover change — Loss of cropland 31,496 Square kilometres (2022)
- Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces 16,366 Square kilometres (2022)
All data for Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries →
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries?
- Exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries was -4.15 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 Asia / Near and Middle East countries?
- The highest recorded value was 12.86 Percentage change in 1997.
- What is the lowest exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries?
- The lowest recorded value was -12.84 Percentage change in 2021.
- How does Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries rank for exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries ranks 466th out of 719 regions with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1,050.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Western Asia / Near and Middle East countries 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