Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Western Europe
Western Europe: Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was 3.13 Percentage change in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Western Europe, 1981–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
Western Europe recorded 3.13 Percentage change for exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 286.2% on the previous year and up 165.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Western Europe peaked at 4.9 Percentage change in 1981 and was at its lowest, -6.99 Percentage change, in 2003.
Western Europe ranks 70th of 730 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
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 | 1.06 Percentage change | -4.88 Percentage change | 4.9 Percentage change | 9 |
| 1990s | -0.6324 Percentage change | -3.54 Percentage change | 1.52 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.3477 Percentage change | -6.99 Percentage change | 2.63 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.76 Percentage change | -6.55 Percentage change | 1.51 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.02 Percentage change | -4.71 Percentage change | 3.13 Percentage change | 5 |
Countries ranked near Western Europe
- 67 Norway 1.83 Percentage change compare
- 68 New Caledonia 1.79 Percentage change compare
- 69 Sri Lanka 1.79 Percentage change compare
- 70 Pakistan 1.76 Percentage change compare
- 71 Scotland 1.67 Percentage change compare
- 72 Dominican Republic 1.65 Percentage change compare
- 73 Comoros 1.61 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Western Europe
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.94 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -3.1 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.485 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.23 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Total fibre furnish — Production, annual growth rate -4.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified — Import value -2.05 % change on previous year (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.84 Percentage change (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified — Import 11.81 % change on previous year (2024)
- Nutrient phosphate P2O5 (total) — Import quantity 859,653 t (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Western Europe?
- Exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Western Europe was 3.13 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 Europe?
- The highest recorded value was 4.9 Percentage change in 1981.
- What is the lowest exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Western Europe?
- The lowest recorded value was -6.99 Percentage change in 2003.
- How does Western Europe rank for exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- Western Europe ranks 70th out of 730 groups with data for 2024.
- Is exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Western Europe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 165.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Western Europe 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
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