Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly was -27.86 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
-27.86 Percentage change
Change on year
down 154.8%
World rank
163rd
of 168 countries
All-time high
132.63 Percentage change
in 1953
All-time low
-32.96 Percentage change
in 2010
Years of data
76
1950–2025

Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Saudi Arabia, 1950–2025

-50050100150195019872025

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia recorded -27.86 Percentage change for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in 2025.

The figure is down 154.8% on the previous year and down 112.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Saudi Arabia peaked at 132.63 Percentage change in 1953 and was at its lowest, -32.96 Percentage change, in 2010.

Saudi Arabia ranks 163rd of 168 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 45.31 Percentage change -11.41 Percentage change 132.63 Percentage change 10
1960s -3.72 Percentage change -25.63 Percentage change 16.65 Percentage change 10
1970s 11.9 Percentage change -18.89 Percentage change 57.6 Percentage change 10
1980s -3.43 Percentage change -26.99 Percentage change 37.58 Percentage change 10
1990s 13.92 Percentage change -19.12 Percentage change 57.57 Percentage change 10
2000s -7.99 Percentage change -29.23 Percentage change 22.18 Percentage change 10
2010s 6.66 Percentage change -32.96 Percentage change 56.99 Percentage change 10
2020s 1.76 Percentage change -27.86 Percentage change 50.86 Percentage change 6

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 160 Somalia -24.06 Percentage change compare
  2. 161 Iraq -26.27 Percentage change compare
  3. 162 Jordan -27.19 Percentage change compare
  4. 164 Yemen -31.12 Percentage change compare
  5. 165 Oman -44.93 Percentage change compare
  6. 166 Qatar -51.99 Percentage change compare

See the full ranking of 3200 places →

More environment data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Saudi Arabia?
Historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Saudi Arabia was -27.86 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 Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 132.63 Percentage change in 1953.
What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was -32.96 Percentage change in 2010.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly?
Saudi Arabia ranks 163rd out of 168 countries with data for 2025.
Is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is down 112.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Saudi Arabia 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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Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Saudi Arabia. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/historical-exposure-to-drought-cropland-soil-moisture-anomaly/saudi-arabia/

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About this data

Indicator
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly
Unit
Percentage change
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
3,200 places, 243,200 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed

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