Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Kenya
Kenya: Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly was -4.73 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Kenya, 1950–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
Kenya recorded -4.73 Percentage change for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 619.5% on the previous year and down 368.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Kenya peaked at 29.51 Percentage change in 1953 and was at its lowest, -13.93 Percentage change, in 2009.
That places Kenya 98th out of 168 countries 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 10.43 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | 13.79 Percentage change | +32.2% |
| 1952 | 16.52 Percentage change | +19.8% |
| 1953 | 29.51 Percentage change | +78.6% |
| 1954 | 11.72 Percentage change | -60.3% |
| 1955 | 1.29 Percentage change | -89.0% |
| 1956 | 8.01 Percentage change | +523.1% |
| 1957 | 9.79 Percentage change | +22.2% |
| 1958 | 0.5175 Percentage change | -94.7% |
| 1959 | 14.34 Percentage change | +2670.8% |
| 1960 | 9.33 Percentage change | -35.0% |
| 1961 | 10.94 Percentage change | +17.3% |
| 1962 | 0.5007 Percentage change | -95.4% |
| 1963 | 8.63 Percentage change | +1623.8% |
| 1964 | 6.45 Percentage change | -25.2% |
| 1965 | 1.14 Percentage change | -82.4% |
| 1966 | 7.19 Percentage change | +532.1% |
| 1967 | 5.64 Percentage change | -21.6% |
| 1968 | 9.92 Percentage change | +76.1% |
| 1969 | -3.32 Percentage change | -133.5% |
| 1970 | 0.0775 Percentage change | -102.3% |
| 1971 | 0.5966 Percentage change | +669.7% |
| 1972 | 4.39 Percentage change | +635.9% |
| 1973 | -1.71 Percentage change | -138.9% |
| 1974 | -2.49 Percentage change | +45.7% |
| 1975 | 3.94 Percentage change | -258.3% |
| 1976 | -4.44 Percentage change | -212.6% |
| 1977 | 18.82 Percentage change | -524.0% |
| 1978 | 15.75 Percentage change | -16.3% |
| 1979 | 10.18 Percentage change | -35.3% |
| 1980 | -1.45 Percentage change | -114.2% |
| 1981 | 3.55 Percentage change | -345.3% |
| 1982 | 11.25 Percentage change | +216.7% |
| 1983 | 3.27 Percentage change | -70.9% |
| 1984 | -2.69 Percentage change | -182.2% |
| 1985 | 6.31 Percentage change | -335.1% |
| 1986 | 4.95 Percentage change | -21.6% |
| 1987 | -5.92 Percentage change | -219.7% |
| 1988 | -4.89 Percentage change | -17.5% |
| 1989 | 8.39 Percentage change | -271.6% |
| 1990 | 8.75 Percentage change | +4.4% |
| 1991 | 0.1531 Percentage change | -98.3% |
| 1992 | -1.54 Percentage change | -1106.9% |
| 1993 | -2.16 Percentage change | +39.8% |
| 1994 | -1.69 Percentage change | -21.6% |
| 1995 | 3.01 Percentage change | -278.0% |
| 1996 | -3.38 Percentage change | -212.3% |
| 1997 | 3.75 Percentage change | -211.1% |
| 1998 | 8.25 Percentage change | +119.9% |
| 1999 | -5.99 Percentage change | -172.6% |
| 2000 | -11.98 Percentage change | +100.1% |
| 2001 | 0.5786 Percentage change | -104.8% |
| 2002 | -7.3 Percentage change | -1362.3% |
| 2003 | 2.15 Percentage change | -129.4% |
| 2004 | -4.36 Percentage change | -303.0% |
| 2005 | -3.68 Percentage change | -15.5% |
| 2006 | 1.86 Percentage change | -150.5% |
| 2007 | 8.24 Percentage change | +343.5% |
| 2008 | -9.53 Percentage change | -215.6% |
| 2009 | -13.93 Percentage change | +46.2% |
| 2010 | 4.58 Percentage change | -132.9% |
| 2011 | -2.98 Percentage change | -165.0% |
| 2012 | -7.32 Percentage change | +146.0% |
| 2013 | 3.93 Percentage change | -153.7% |
| 2014 | -5.5 Percentage change | -239.8% |
| 2015 | -1.01 Percentage change | -81.6% |
| 2016 | -4.83 Percentage change | +378.5% |
| 2017 | -3.36 Percentage change | -30.4% |
| 2018 | -0.7354 Percentage change | -78.1% |
| 2019 | 4.85 Percentage change | -759.4% |
| 2020 | 17.15 Percentage change | +253.6% |
| 2021 | -9.29 Percentage change | -154.2% |
| 2022 | -11.08 Percentage change | +19.3% |
| 2023 | -5.06 Percentage change | -54.4% |
| 2024 | 0.9103 Percentage change | -118.0% |
| 2025 | -4.73 Percentage change | -619.5% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's -4.73 Percentage change is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is -4.58 Percentage change, 1.0× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Kenya's -4.73 Percentage change is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -5.06 Percentage change, 93% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Kenya 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | +2670.8% | 0.5175 Percentage change | 14.34 Percentage change |
| 1963 | +1623.8% | 0.5007 Percentage change | 8.63 Percentage change |
| 2002 | -1362.3% | 0.5786 Percentage change | -7.3 Percentage change |
| 1992 | -1106.9% | 0.1531 Percentage change | -1.54 Percentage change |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 11.59 Percentage change | 0.5175 Percentage change | 29.51 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.64 Percentage change | -3.32 Percentage change | 10.94 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.51 Percentage change | -4.44 Percentage change | 18.82 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.28 Percentage change | -5.92 Percentage change | 11.25 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9163 Percentage change | -5.99 Percentage change | 8.75 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -3.8 Percentage change | -13.93 Percentage change | 8.24 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.24 Percentage change | -7.32 Percentage change | 4.85 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -2.02 Percentage change | -11.08 Percentage change | 17.15 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More environment data for Kenya
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -8.08 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.27 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.12 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.25 % 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 2.87 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Kenya?
- Historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Kenya was -4.73 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 29.51 Percentage change in 1953.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was -13.93 Percentage change in 2009.
- How does Kenya rank for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly?
- Kenya ranks 98th out of 168 countries with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 368.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Kenya 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