Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Iran
Iran: Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly was -21.27 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Iran, 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 Iran stood at -21.27 Percentage change. That is the lowest value across all 76 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 249.2% on the previous year and down 4,631.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Iran peaked at 13.5 Percentage change in 1957 and was at its lowest, -21.27 Percentage change, in 2025.
That places Iran 158th out of 168 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
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 Iran, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | -4.51 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | -13.7 Percentage change | +204.1% |
| 1952 | -3.58 Percentage change | -73.9% |
| 1953 | 10.43 Percentage change | -391.5% |
| 1954 | 5.7 Percentage change | -45.3% |
| 1955 | -2.64 Percentage change | -146.2% |
| 1956 | -2.68 Percentage change | +1.8% |
| 1957 | 13.5 Percentage change | -603.4% |
| 1958 | -4.21 Percentage change | -131.2% |
| 1959 | -1.88 Percentage change | -55.3% |
| 1960 | -11.75 Percentage change | +525.4% |
| 1961 | -8.1 Percentage change | -31.1% |
| 1962 | -13.76 Percentage change | +69.9% |
| 1963 | -4.5 Percentage change | -67.3% |
| 1964 | -6.22 Percentage change | +38.2% |
| 1965 | -2.54 Percentage change | -59.1% |
| 1966 | -11.41 Percentage change | +349.0% |
| 1967 | -3.81 Percentage change | -66.6% |
| 1968 | 3.88 Percentage change | -201.7% |
| 1969 | 7.78 Percentage change | +100.6% |
| 1970 | -9.72 Percentage change | -224.9% |
| 1971 | -4.61 Percentage change | -52.6% |
| 1972 | 11.14 Percentage change | -341.7% |
| 1973 | -6.71 Percentage change | -160.3% |
| 1974 | -0.2614 Percentage change | -96.1% |
| 1975 | -0.5534 Percentage change | +111.7% |
| 1976 | 8.12 Percentage change | -1566.4% |
| 1977 | 9.64 Percentage change | +18.8% |
| 1978 | -2.62 Percentage change | -127.2% |
| 1979 | 2.72 Percentage change | -203.6% |
| 1980 | 3.11 Percentage change | +14.4% |
| 1981 | 5.57 Percentage change | +79.0% |
| 1982 | 10.38 Percentage change | +86.5% |
| 1983 | -0.4065 Percentage change | -103.9% |
| 1984 | 1.35 Percentage change | -432.6% |
| 1985 | -3.88 Percentage change | -386.9% |
| 1986 | 8.69 Percentage change | -324.1% |
| 1987 | 3.63 Percentage change | -58.3% |
| 1988 | 2.99 Percentage change | -17.6% |
| 1989 | -3.01 Percentage change | -200.6% |
| 1990 | -7.12 Percentage change | +136.8% |
| 1991 | -4.92 Percentage change | -30.9% |
| 1992 | 6.71 Percentage change | -236.4% |
| 1993 | 11.68 Percentage change | +74.2% |
| 1994 | 2.81 Percentage change | -76.0% |
| 1995 | -1.22 Percentage change | -143.4% |
| 1996 | 1.42 Percentage change | -216.7% |
| 1997 | -2.62 Percentage change | -284.2% |
| 1998 | -1.14 Percentage change | -56.5% |
| 1999 | -10.5 Percentage change | +821.4% |
| 2000 | -9.78 Percentage change | -6.9% |
| 2001 | -8.2 Percentage change | -16.2% |
| 2002 | -2.41 Percentage change | -70.6% |
| 2003 | 3.84 Percentage change | -259.0% |
| 2004 | -0.7242 Percentage change | -118.9% |
| 2005 | 0.5171 Percentage change | -171.4% |
| 2006 | 0.5282 Percentage change | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 2.62 Percentage change | +395.9% |
| 2008 | -6.21 Percentage change | -337.1% |
| 2009 | 4.52 Percentage change | -172.7% |
| 2010 | -5.11 Percentage change | -213.1% |
| 2011 | 2.24 Percentage change | -143.8% |
| 2012 | 1.34 Percentage change | -40.2% |
| 2013 | -2.05 Percentage change | -253.6% |
| 2014 | 1.48 Percentage change | -171.9% |
| 2015 | 0.4694 Percentage change | -68.2% |
| 2016 | -1.63 Percentage change | -448.1% |
| 2017 | -4.78 Percentage change | +192.2% |
| 2018 | -1.26 Percentage change | -73.6% |
| 2019 | 8.91 Percentage change | -807.5% |
| 2020 | 7.56 Percentage change | -15.1% |
| 2021 | -14.25 Percentage change | -288.6% |
| 2022 | -7.74 Percentage change | -45.7% |
| 2023 | -6.72 Percentage change | -13.2% |
| 2024 | -6.09 Percentage change | -9.3% |
| 2025 | -21.27 Percentage change | +249.2% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's -21.27 Percentage change is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is -3.12 Percentage change, 6.8× the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Iran's -21.27 Percentage change is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is -16.49 Percentage change, 1.3× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Iran changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +1566.4% | -0.5534 Percentage change | 8.12 Percentage change |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | -0.3555 Percentage change | -13.7 Percentage change | 13.5 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | -5.04 Percentage change | -13.76 Percentage change | 7.78 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.7129 Percentage change | -9.72 Percentage change | 11.14 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.84 Percentage change | -3.88 Percentage change | 10.38 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.4899 Percentage change | -10.5 Percentage change | 11.68 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.53 Percentage change | -9.78 Percentage change | 4.52 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.0404 Percentage change | -5.11 Percentage change | 8.91 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -8.09 Percentage change | -21.27 Percentage change | 7.56 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iran
- 155 South Sudan -17.71 Percentage change compare
- 156 Central African Republic -17.75 Percentage change compare
- 157 Western Sahara -21.2 Percentage change compare
- 159 Turkmenistan -23.71 Percentage change compare
- 160 Somalia -24.06 Percentage change compare
- 161 Iraq -26.27 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Iran
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -30.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.4 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 1.9 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual -0.0807 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Iran?
- Historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Iran was -21.27 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 Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 13.5 Percentage change in 1957.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was -21.27 Percentage change in 2025.
- How does Iran rank for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly?
- Iran ranks 158th out of 168 countries with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4,631.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iran 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.
Download this data
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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