Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly by country
The dataset provides annual anomalies in land and cropland soil moisture content of the top soil layer (0 to 7 cm) 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...
Countries reporting
209
Highest
12.52 Percentage change
India
Lowest
-85.4 Percentage change
United Arab Emirates
Median
-3.83 Percentage change
Years covered
76
1950–2025
Data points
243,200
What the numbers show
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly is currently reported for 209 countries. The highest value is 12.52 Percentage change in India; the lowest is -85.4 Percentage change in United Arab Emirates.
The median across all reporting countries is -3.83 Percentage change, and the mean is -5.55 Percentage change.
Over the past decade 77 countries rose and 132 fell. The largest increase was in Hokkaido (up 2,307.7%), and the largest decrease in Israel (down 8,520.1%).
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 12.52 Percentage change | 2025 | up 711.9% | volatile |
| 2 | Northern Mariana Islands | 10.19 Percentage change | 2025 | up 228.7% | volatile |
| 3 | Mauritius | 9.84 Percentage change | 2025 | up 170.2% | volatile |
| 4 | South Africa | 8.52 Percentage change | 2025 | up 223.1% | volatile |
| 5 | New Caledonia | 8.33 Percentage change | 2025 | up 321.5% | volatile |
| 6 | Panama | 7.64 Percentage change | 2025 | up 740.5% | volatile |
| 7 | Philippines | 7.07 Percentage change | 2025 | up 389.4% | volatile |
| 8 | San Marino | 6.82 Percentage change | 2025 | up 0.9% | volatile |
| 9 | Botswana | 6.49 Percentage change | 2025 | up 621.0% | volatile |
| 10 | Faroe Islands | 5.94 Percentage change | 2025 | up 10.3% | volatile |
| 11 | Sri Lanka | 5.49 Percentage change | 2025 | down 56.4% | volatile |
| 12 | Martinique | 4.63 Percentage change | 2025 | up 156.6% | volatile |
| 13 | Nicaragua | 4.53 Percentage change | 2025 | up 237.3% | volatile |
| 14 | Finland | 4.25 Percentage change | 2025 | down 12.1% | volatile |
| 15 | Greece | 3.43 Percentage change | 2025 | down 68.2% | volatile |
| 16 | Zimbabwe | 3.29 Percentage change | 2025 | down 6.2% | volatile |
| 17 | Peru | 3.13 Percentage change | 2025 | up 1,597.5% | volatile |
| 18 | North Macedonia | 3.08 Percentage change | 2025 | up 23.5% | volatile |
| 19 | French Guiana | 3.05 Percentage change | 2025 | up 175.6% | volatile |
| 20 | Isle of Man | 2.92 Percentage change | 2025 | up 12.3% | volatile |
| 21 | Democratic People's Republic of Korea | 2.89 Percentage change | 2025 | up 164.6% | volatile |
| 22 | Costa Rica | 2.71 Percentage change | 2025 | up 530.1% | volatile |
| 23 | Italy | 2.47 Percentage change | 2025 | up 8.4% | volatile |
| 24 | Nepal | 2.41 Percentage change | 2025 | down 44.4% | volatile |
| 25 | Papua New Guinea | 2.24 Percentage change | 2025 | up 244.6% | volatile |
| 26 | Northern Ireland | 2.17 Percentage change | 2025 | down 12.8% | volatile |
| 27 | Ireland | 2.17 Percentage change | 2025 | up 203.4% | volatile |
| 28 | Suriname | 1.91 Percentage change | 2025 | up 351.9% | volatile |
| 29 | New Zealand | 1.69 Percentage change | 2025 | up 130.2% | volatile |
| 30 | Niger | 1.65 Percentage change | 2025 | up 140.4% | volatile |
| 31 | Thailand | 1.54 Percentage change | 2025 | up 127.5% | volatile |
| 32 | Vanuatu | 1.46 Percentage change | 2025 | up 122.4% | volatile |
| 33 | Indonesia | 1.41 Percentage change | 2025 | up 125.8% | volatile |
| 34 | Cambodia | 1.06 Percentage change | 2025 | up 112.1% | volatile |
| 35 | Myanmar | 0.9805 Percentage change | 2025 | up 484.9% | volatile |
| 36 | Albania | 0.8208 Percentage change | 2025 | up 10.4% | volatile |
| 37 | Norway | 0.8118 Percentage change | 2025 | down 72.5% | volatile |
| 38 | Mexico | 0.6189 Percentage change | 2025 | down 96.5% | volatile |
| 39 | Bhutan | 0.5977 Percentage change | 2025 | up 146.2% | volatile |
| 40 | Chinese Taipei | 0.5363 Percentage change | 2025 | up 128.2% | volatile |
| 41 | Hokkaido | 0.4804 Percentage change | 2025 | up 2,307.7% | volatile |
| 42 | Samoa | 0.3183 Percentage change | 2025 | up 109.3% | volatile |
| 43 | Colombia | 0.2774 Percentage change | 2025 | up 106.5% | volatile |
| 44 | Liechtenstein | 0.1032 Percentage change | 2025 | up 105.5% | volatile |
| 45 | Angola | -0.076 Percentage change | 2025 | up 52.1% | volatile |
| 46 | Luxembourg | -0.1872 Percentage change | 2025 | up 93.5% | volatile |
| 47 | Montenegro | -0.1974 Percentage change | 2025 | up 95.0% | volatile |
| 48 | Belarus | -0.1993 Percentage change | 2025 | up 97.8% | volatile |
| 49 | Chile | -0.3357 Percentage change | 2025 | up 89.4% | volatile |
| 50 | Guadeloupe | -0.4134 Percentage change | 2025 | up 95.3% | volatile |
| 51 | Switzerland | -0.4333 Percentage change | 2025 | up 87.7% | volatile |
| 52 | Portugal | -0.5127 Percentage change | 2025 | up 94.7% | volatile |
| 53 | Puerto Rico | -0.5906 Percentage change | 2025 | up 86.2% | volatile |
| 54 | Corsica (region, level 2) | -0.7491 Percentage change | 2025 | down 158.2% | volatile |
| 55 | Malawi | -0.8098 Percentage change | 2025 | up 70.2% | volatile |
| 56 | Solomon Islands | -0.8823 Percentage change | 2025 | up 43.5% | volatile |
| 57 | Honduras | -0.9224 Percentage change | 2025 | down 120.0% | volatile |
| 58 | Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur | -0.9453 Percentage change | 2025 | up 80.9% | volatile |
| 59 | Kazakhstan | -0.9617 Percentage change | 2025 | up 69.1% | volatile |
| 60 | Singapore | -0.9965 Percentage change | 2025 | up 81.2% | volatile |
| 61 | Ecuador | -1.05 Percentage change | 2025 | down 134.9% | volatile |
| 62 | Brunei Darussalam | -1.07 Percentage change | 2025 | down 213.7% | volatile |
| 63 | Namibia | -1.14 Percentage change | 2025 | up 85.6% | volatile |
| 64 | Malta | -1.15 Percentage change | 2025 | down 121.2% | volatile |
| 65 | Andorra | -1.18 Percentage change | 2025 | down 183.6% | volatile |
| 66 | Trinidad and Tobago | -1.36 Percentage change | 2025 | up 69.3% | volatile |
| 67 | Spain | -1.4 Percentage change | 2025 | up 60.5% | volatile |
| 68 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | -1.51 Percentage change | 2025 | up 69.3% | volatile |
| 69 | Bulgaria | -1.52 Percentage change | 2025 | down 144.1% | volatile |
| 70 | Kosovo | -1.78 Percentage change | 2025 | down 17.6% | volatile |
| 71 | Malaysia | -1.9 Percentage change | 2025 | down 181.7% | volatile |
| 72 | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | -2.01 Percentage change | 2025 | up 67.3% | volatile |
| 73 | Senegal | -2.06 Percentage change | 2025 | down 149.4% | volatile |
| 74 | Sweden | -2.12 Percentage change | 2025 | down 156.4% | volatile |
| 75 | United States of America | -2.16 Percentage change | 2025 | down 84.5% | volatile |
| 76 | Grand Est | -2.19 Percentage change | 2025 | up 49.6% | volatile |
| 77 | Bangladesh | -2.3 Percentage change | 2025 | down 339.3% | volatile |
| 78 | Occitanie | -2.41 Percentage change | 2025 | down 2.6% | volatile |
| 79 | Guinea-Bissau | -2.47 Percentage change | 2025 | down 30.1% | volatile |
| 80 | Guyana | -2.55 Percentage change | 2025 | down 13.4% | volatile |
| 81 | Mozambique | -2.58 Percentage change | 2025 | up 47.4% | volatile |
| 82 | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | -2.62 Percentage change | 2025 | up 36.1% | volatile |
| 83 | Scotland | -2.63 Percentage change | 2025 | down 183.1% | volatile |
| 84 | Denmark | -2.67 Percentage change | 2025 | down 125.6% | volatile |
| 85 | Guinea | -2.87 Percentage change | 2025 | up 4.1% | volatile |
| 86 | Belize | -2.87 Percentage change | 2025 | down 1,586.9% | volatile |
| 87 | Czechia | -2.99 Percentage change | 2025 | up 56.4% | volatile |
| 88 | Zambia | -3.03 Percentage change | 2025 | down 177.3% | volatile |
| 89 | Tohoku | -3.09 Percentage change | 2025 | up 11.0% | volatile |
| 90 | Hokuriku | -3.09 Percentage change | 2025 | down 89.7% | volatile |
| 91 | El Salvador | -3.1 Percentage change | 2025 | up 32.9% | volatile |
| 92 | Jamaica | -3.15 Percentage change | 2025 | up 73.4% | volatile |
| 93 | OECD | -3.17 Percentage change | 2025 | down 352.1% | volatile |
| 94 | Russian Federation | -3.18 Percentage change | 2025 | up 39.1% | volatile |
| 95 | Advanced economies | -3.22 Percentage change | 2025 | down 86.2% | volatile |
| 96 | Centre - Val de Loire | -3.3 Percentage change | 2025 | down 2,939.1% | volatile |
| 97 | Uruguay | -3.3 Percentage change | 2025 | up 34.5% | volatile |
| 98 | Austria | -3.4 Percentage change | 2025 | up 21.3% | volatile |
| 99 | Gabon | -3.43 Percentage change | 2025 | down 9.7% | volatile |
| 100 | France | -3.44 Percentage change | 2025 | down 28.8% | volatile |
| 101 | Saxony | -3.56 Percentage change | 2025 | down 0.9% | volatile |
| 102 | Rhineland-Palatinate | -3.59 Percentage change | 2025 | up 12.0% | volatile |
| 103 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | -3.72 Percentage change | 2025 | down 339.0% | volatile |
| 104 | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | -3.74 Percentage change | 2025 | down 80.4% | volatile |
| 105 | Haiti | -3.83 Percentage change | 2025 | up 41.6% | volatile |
| 106 | Wales | -3.94 Percentage change | 2025 | down 413.5% | volatile |
| 107 | Burundi | -3.95 Percentage change | 2025 | down 1,560.8% | volatile |
| 108 | Macau, China | -3.98 Percentage change | 2025 | up 61.4% | volatile |
| 109 | Gambia | -4.18 Percentage change | 2025 | down 181.1% | volatile |
| 110 | Liberia | -4.28 Percentage change | 2025 | down 46.9% | volatile |
| 111 | Thuringia | -4.31 Percentage change | 2025 | down 30.7% | volatile |
| 112 | Germany | -4.36 Percentage change | 2025 | down 240.5% | volatile |
| 113 | Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | -4.42 Percentage change | 2025 | up 33.3% | volatile |
| 114 | Dominican Republic | -4.52 Percentage change | 2025 | up 42.2% | volatile |
| 115 | Saxony-Anhalt | -4.62 Percentage change | 2025 | down 1,003.8% | volatile |
| 116 | Brittany | -4.67 Percentage change | 2025 | down 437.5% | volatile |
| 117 | Serbia | -4.72 Percentage change | 2025 | down 1,239.5% | volatile |
| 118 | Kenya | -4.73 Percentage change | 2025 | down 368.5% | volatile |
| 119 | French Polynesia | -4.73 Percentage change | 2025 | down 35.1% | volatile |
| 120 | Argentina | -4.78 Percentage change | 2025 | down 95.8% | volatile |
| 121 | Japan | -4.8 Percentage change | 2025 | down 431.0% | volatile |
| 122 | Schleswig-Holstein | -4.88 Percentage change | 2025 | down 204.0% | volatile |
| 123 | Monaco | -5.01 Percentage change | 2025 | up 21.5% | volatile |
| 124 | Guatemala | -5.02 Percentage change | 2025 | down 3,545.4% | volatile |
| 125 | Rwanda | -5.05 Percentage change | 2025 | down 213.8% | volatile |
| 126 | Nigeria | -5.07 Percentage change | 2025 | down 38.2% | volatile |
| 127 | North West England | -5.14 Percentage change | 2025 | down 230.9% | volatile |
| 128 | Cuba | -5.17 Percentage change | 2025 | up 46.7% | volatile |
| 129 | South West England | -5.19 Percentage change | 2025 | down 306.2% | volatile |
| 130 | Romania | -5.2 Percentage change | 2025 | down 6,577.0% | volatile |
| 131 | Kyushu, Okinawa | -5.27 Percentage change | 2025 | down 223.6% | volatile |
| 132 | Sierra Leone | -5.39 Percentage change | 2025 | down 39.2% | volatile |
| 133 | Cyprus | -5.49 Percentage change | 2025 | down 147.2% | volatile |
| 134 | Hong Kong, China | -5.54 Percentage change | 2025 | up 41.0% | volatile |
| 135 | Hungary | -5.61 Percentage change | 2025 | down 217.6% | volatile |
| 136 | Australia and New Zealand | -5.87 Percentage change | 2025 | down 22.9% | volatile |
| 137 | Pays de la Loire | -5.87 Percentage change | 2025 | down 1,081.3% | volatile |
| 138 | Australia | -5.98 Percentage change | 2025 | down 25.6% | volatile |
| 139 | Kyrgyzstan | -6.12 Percentage change | 2025 | down 447.5% | volatile |
| 140 | North Rhine-Westphalia | -6.23 Percentage change | 2025 | down 340.8% | volatile |
| 141 | Mongolia | -6.27 Percentage change | 2025 | up 47.6% | volatile |
| 142 | Mali | -6.27 Percentage change | 2025 | down 466.9% | volatile |
| 143 | Belgium | -6.46 Percentage change | 2025 | down 3,032.4% | volatile |
| 144 | Hauts-de-France | -6.57 Percentage change | 2025 | down 240.2% | volatile |
| 145 | Tunisia | -6.62 Percentage change | 2025 | down 204.3% | volatile |
| 146 | Congo | -6.68 Percentage change | 2025 | down 28.9% | volatile |
| 147 | Canada | -6.76 Percentage change | 2025 | down 396.1% | volatile |
| 148 | Comoros | -6.9 Percentage change | 2025 | down 6.7% | volatile |
| 149 | Normandy | -7.02 Percentage change | 2025 | down 646.5% | volatile |
| 150 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | -7.09 Percentage change | 2025 | down 316.4% | volatile |
| 151 | Burkina Faso | -7.18 Percentage change | 2025 | down 1,193.8% | volatile |
| 152 | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | -7.25 Percentage change | 2025 | down 540.3% | volatile |
| 153 | Chugoku | -7.28 Percentage change | 2025 | down 676.4% | volatile |
| 154 | Tanzania, United Republic of | -7.29 Percentage change | 2025 | down 359.3% | volatile |
| 155 | Georgia | -7.33 Percentage change | 2025 | down 132.5% | volatile |
| 156 | South East England | -7.46 Percentage change | 2025 | down 2,831.8% | volatile |
| 157 | Paraguay | -7.6 Percentage change | 2025 | down 431.9% | volatile |
| 158 | Pakistan | -7.64 Percentage change | 2025 | down 180.4% | volatile |
| 159 | Cameroon | -7.68 Percentage change | 2025 | down 75.1% | volatile |
| 160 | Shikoku | -7.76 Percentage change | 2025 | down 961.4% | volatile |
| 161 | Toukai | -7.8 Percentage change | 2025 | down 158.8% | volatile |
| 162 | Kansai region | -7.82 Percentage change | 2025 | down 290.7% | volatile |
| 163 | Northern-Kanto, Koshin | -8.18 Percentage change | 2025 | down 148.5% | volatile |
| 164 | Ukraine | -8.18 Percentage change | 2025 | down 21.5% | volatile |
| 165 | Brazil | -8.24 Percentage change | 2025 | down 191.9% | volatile |
| 166 | Bahamas | -8.33 Percentage change | 2025 | down 3.5% | volatile |
| 167 | Barbados | -8.41 Percentage change | 2025 | up 19.0% | volatile |
| 168 | North East England | -8.59 Percentage change | 2025 | down 1,015.2% | volatile |
| 169 | Greater London | -9.01 Percentage change | 2025 | down 633.9% | volatile |
| 170 | Yorkshire and The Humber | -9.16 Percentage change | 2025 | down 592.5% | volatile |
| 171 | West Midlands | -9.49 Percentage change | 2025 | down 786.3% | volatile |
| 172 | East Midlands | -9.52 Percentage change | 2025 | down 534.3% | volatile |
| 173 | Côte d’Ivoire | -9.69 Percentage change | 2025 | down 177.6% | volatile |
| 174 | Benin | -10.11 Percentage change | 2025 | down 207.0% | volatile |
| 175 | Eritrea | -10.14 Percentage change | 2025 | up 26.9% | volatile |
| 176 | East of England | -10.17 Percentage change | 2025 | down 427.1% | volatile |
| 177 | Libya | -10.37 Percentage change | 2025 | down 220.8% | volatile |
| 178 | Armenia | -10.56 Percentage change | 2025 | down 2,849.0% | volatile |
| 179 | Israel | -11.49 Percentage change | 2025 | down 8,520.1% | volatile |
| 180 | Ghana | -11.89 Percentage change | 2025 | down 185.4% | volatile |
| 181 | Southern-Kanto | -11.92 Percentage change | 2025 | down 372.3% | volatile |
| 182 | Lebanon | -12.31 Percentage change | 2025 | down 344.6% | volatile |
| 183 | Togo | -12.32 Percentage change | 2025 | down 305.1% | volatile |
| 184 | Uganda | -12.54 Percentage change | 2025 | down 165.8% | volatile |
| 185 | Morocco | -12.62 Percentage change | 2025 | down 309.1% | volatile |
| 186 | Uzbekistan | -12.65 Percentage change | 2025 | down 481.9% | volatile |
| 187 | Azerbaijan | -12.71 Percentage change | 2025 | down 250.8% | volatile |
| 188 | Sao Tome and Principe | -12.85 Percentage change | 2025 | down 34.9% | volatile |
| 189 | Egypt | -13.21 Percentage change | 2025 | down 1,250.2% | volatile |
| 190 | Algeria | -13.76 Percentage change | 2025 | down 296.1% | volatile |
| 191 | Chad | -13.87 Percentage change | 2025 | down 33.6% | volatile |
| 192 | Sudan | -15.35 Percentage change | 2025 | down 39.8% | volatile |
| 193 | Palestine, State of | -15.86 Percentage change | 2025 | down 876.9% | volatile |
| 194 | Tajikistan | -16.3 Percentage change | 2025 | down 564.9% | volatile |
| 195 | Afghanistan | -17.12 Percentage change | 2025 | down 320.9% | volatile |
| 196 | South Sudan | -17.71 Percentage change | 2025 | down 135.5% | volatile |
| 197 | Central African Republic | -17.75 Percentage change | 2025 | down 138.1% | volatile |
| 198 | Western Sahara | -21.2 Percentage change | 2025 | down 160.9% | volatile |
| 199 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | -21.27 Percentage change | 2025 | down 4,631.6% | volatile |
| 200 | Turkmenistan | -23.71 Percentage change | 2025 | down 317.8% | volatile |
| 201 | Somalia | -24.06 Percentage change | 2025 | down 430.1% | volatile |
| 202 | Iraq | -26.27 Percentage change | 2025 | down 292.8% | volatile |
| 203 | Jordan | -27.19 Percentage change | 2025 | down 193.7% | volatile |
| 204 | Saudi Arabia | -27.86 Percentage change | 2025 | down 112.8% | volatile |
| 205 | Yemen | -31.12 Percentage change | 2025 | down 16.8% | volatile |
| 206 | Oman | -44.93 Percentage change | 2025 | down 52.0% | volatile |
| 207 | Qatar | -51.99 Percentage change | 2025 | down 464.0% | volatile |
| 208 | Kuwait | -61.88 Percentage change | 2025 | down 84.9% | volatile |
| 209 | United Arab Emirates | -85.4 Percentage change | 2025 | down 54.7% | volatile |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Lesotho 7.72 Percentage change
- Eswatini 6.06 Percentage change
- Lithuania 1.8 Percentage change
- Fiji 0.8816 Percentage change
- Croatia -1.36 Percentage change
- Slovenia -1.74 Percentage change
- China (People's Republic of) -1.78 Percentage change
- Slovak Republic -2.46 Percentage change
- Madagascar -3.09 Percentage change
- Poland -4.11 Percentage change
- Mauritania -4.89 Percentage change
- Equatorial Guinea -5.39 Percentage change
About this data
The dataset provides annual anomalies in land and cropland soil moisture content of the top soil layer (0 to 7 cm) 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 1981-2024 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 based on the ERA5-Land reanalysis dataset. Contact: ENV.Stat@oecd.org