Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in China (People's Republic of)
China (People's Republic of): Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly was -1.78 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in China (People's Republic of), 1950–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
In 2025, historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in China (People's Republic of) stood at -1.78 Percentage change.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1,481.6% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in China (People's Republic of) peaked at 7.78 Percentage change in 1964 and was at its lowest, -5.68 Percentage change, in 2009.
That places China (People's Republic of) 21st out of 72 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in China (People's Republic of), year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.31 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | 0.5302 Percentage change | -77.0% |
| 1952 | 2.72 Percentage change | +412.4% |
| 1953 | 0.8684 Percentage change | -68.0% |
| 1954 | 3.75 Percentage change | +331.3% |
| 1955 | 2.81 Percentage change | -24.9% |
| 1956 | 0.8069 Percentage change | -71.3% |
| 1957 | 0.5765 Percentage change | -28.5% |
| 1958 | 0.3433 Percentage change | -40.4% |
| 1959 | -0.4883 Percentage change | -242.2% |
| 1960 | 1.81 Percentage change | -469.8% |
| 1961 | 3.55 Percentage change | +96.6% |
| 1962 | 3.12 Percentage change | -12.2% |
| 1963 | 0.0427 Percentage change | -98.6% |
| 1964 | 7.78 Percentage change | +18117.0% |
| 1965 | -0.9193 Percentage change | -111.8% |
| 1966 | -3.94 Percentage change | +329.1% |
| 1967 | 3.27 Percentage change | -183.0% |
| 1968 | 1 Percentage change | -69.5% |
| 1969 | 2.47 Percentage change | +146.8% |
| 1970 | 2.77 Percentage change | +12.2% |
| 1971 | 2.5 Percentage change | -9.6% |
| 1972 | 2.92 Percentage change | +16.7% |
| 1973 | 4.45 Percentage change | +52.3% |
| 1974 | -0.031 Percentage change | -100.7% |
| 1975 | 2.96 Percentage change | -9663.0% |
| 1976 | 2.32 Percentage change | -21.9% |
| 1977 | 1.48 Percentage change | -35.9% |
| 1978 | -0.0591 Percentage change | -104.0% |
| 1979 | -0.4868 Percentage change | +723.3% |
| 1980 | 1.1 Percentage change | -326.5% |
| 1981 | 0.6025 Percentage change | -45.4% |
| 1982 | 1.12 Percentage change | +86.6% |
| 1983 | 2.05 Percentage change | +82.5% |
| 1984 | 1.1 Percentage change | -46.2% |
| 1985 | 3.82 Percentage change | +245.6% |
| 1986 | 0.1454 Percentage change | -96.2% |
| 1987 | 2.42 Percentage change | +1562.4% |
| 1988 | 0.4879 Percentage change | -79.8% |
| 1989 | 0.2602 Percentage change | -46.7% |
| 1990 | 5.02 Percentage change | +1828.7% |
| 1991 | 1.6 Percentage change | -68.0% |
| 1992 | -0.5994 Percentage change | -137.4% |
| 1993 | 4.23 Percentage change | -806.1% |
| 1994 | -0.1423 Percentage change | -103.4% |
| 1995 | 0.879 Percentage change | -717.6% |
| 1996 | 1.03 Percentage change | +17.6% |
| 1997 | -0.7416 Percentage change | -171.7% |
| 1998 | 3.37 Percentage change | -554.8% |
| 1999 | -0.8159 Percentage change | -124.2% |
| 2000 | 0.2673 Percentage change | -132.8% |
| 2001 | -1.1 Percentage change | -510.1% |
| 2002 | -2.53 Percentage change | +130.6% |
| 2003 | -0.5432 Percentage change | -78.5% |
| 2004 | -0.4879 Percentage change | -10.2% |
| 2005 | -1.43 Percentage change | +193.0% |
| 2006 | -5.5 Percentage change | +285.0% |
| 2007 | -4.1 Percentage change | -25.5% |
| 2008 | -2.76 Percentage change | -32.6% |
| 2009 | -5.68 Percentage change | +105.7% |
| 2010 | -1.99 Percentage change | -65.0% |
| 2011 | -5 Percentage change | +151.5% |
| 2012 | -1.01 Percentage change | -79.7% |
| 2013 | -1.5 Percentage change | +48.0% |
| 2014 | -3.23 Percentage change | +115.7% |
| 2015 | -1.72 Percentage change | -46.7% |
| 2016 | 0.0776 Percentage change | -104.5% |
| 2017 | -3.16 Percentage change | -4178.5% |
| 2018 | -4 Percentage change | +26.5% |
| 2019 | -5.43 Percentage change | +35.7% |
| 2020 | -2.4 Percentage change | -55.8% |
| 2021 | -0.878 Percentage change | -63.5% |
| 2022 | -1.61 Percentage change | +83.1% |
| 2023 | -4.31 Percentage change | +168.0% |
| 2024 | -0.1122 Percentage change | -97.4% |
| 2025 | -1.78 Percentage change | +1481.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.42 Percentage change | -0.4883 Percentage change | 3.75 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.82 Percentage change | -3.94 Percentage change | 7.78 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.88 Percentage change | -0.4868 Percentage change | 4.45 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.31 Percentage change | 0.1454 Percentage change | 3.82 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.38 Percentage change | -0.8159 Percentage change | 5.02 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -2.39 Percentage change | -5.68 Percentage change | 0.2673 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -2.7 Percentage change | -5.43 Percentage change | 0.0776 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.85 Percentage change | -4.31 Percentage change | -0.1122 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near China (People's Republic of)
- 18 North Macedonia 3.08 Percentage change compare
- 19 French Guiana 3.05 Percentage change compare
- 20 Isle of Man 2.92 Percentage change compare
- 21 North Korea 2.89 Percentage change compare
- 22 Costa Rica 2.71 Percentage change compare
- 23 Italy 2.47 Percentage change compare
- 24 Nepal 2.41 Percentage change compare
More environment data for China (People's Republic of)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -1.86 Percentage change (2025)
- River flooding exposure — Cropland share exposed to river flooding 9.64 Percentage of agricultural land area (2022)
- Greenhouse gas emissions - Regions — GHG emissions from waste 387.36 million Tonnes of CO2-equivalent (2023)
- Waste treatment - Regions — Municipal waste generation 126 Kilogrammes per person (2013)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in China (People's Republic of)?
- Historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in China (People's Republic of) was -1.78 Percentage change in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly recorded in China (People's Republic of)?
- The highest recorded value was 7.78 Percentage change in 1964.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly recorded in China (People's Republic of)?
- The lowest recorded value was -5.68 Percentage change in 2009.
- How does China (People's Republic of) rank for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly?
- China (People's Republic of) ranks 21st out of 72 groups with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in China (People's Republic of)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China (People's Republic of) data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Historical exposure to drought — Cropland 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 (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