Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Lesotho
Lesotho: Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly was 7.72 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Lesotho, 1950–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 7.72 Percentage change for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in 2025.
The figure is up 129.5% on the previous year and up 150.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Lesotho peaked at 21.14 Percentage change in 1976 and was at its lowest, -61.23 Percentage change, in 1951.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | -20.6 Percentage change | -61.23 Percentage change | 18.42 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | -4.15 Percentage change | -30.49 Percentage change | 11.4 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.05 Percentage change | -3.66 Percentage change | 21.14 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.684 Percentage change | -16.53 Percentage change | 20.47 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | -2.05 Percentage change | -18.08 Percentage change | 17.25 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.7 Percentage change | -15.56 Percentage change | 18.56 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -17.68 Percentage change | -38.41 Percentage change | 3.27 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.1755 Percentage change | -26.19 Percentage change | 9.86 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 1 India 12.52 Percentage change compare
- 2 Northern Mariana Islands 10.19 Percentage change compare
- 3 Mauritius 9.84 Percentage change compare
- 4 South Africa 8.52 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Lesotho
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 7.08 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -18.9 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -26.87 Percentage change (2024)
- Land use hidden — Other areas 6,407 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Total area 30,360 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Cropland 3,607 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Permanent meadows and pastures 20,000 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Land area 30,360 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Naturally regenerating forest 258.5 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Planted Forest 86.7 Square kilometres (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Lesotho?
- Historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Lesotho was 7.72 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 Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 21.14 Percentage change in 1976.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was -61.23 Percentage change in 1951.
- How does Lesotho rank for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly?
- Lesotho ranks 1st out of 16 groups with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 150.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho 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
CSV · JSON — 76 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 (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