Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in South Africa
South Africa: Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly was 8.52 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in South Africa, 1950–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 8.52 Percentage change for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in 2025.
The figure is up 159.3% on the previous year and up 223.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in South Africa peaked at 16.11 Percentage change in 1976 and was at its lowest, -32.5 Percentage change, in 1951.
South Africa ranks 4th of 168 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.63 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | -32.5 Percentage change | -994.4% |
| 1952 | -28.73 Percentage change | -11.6% |
| 1953 | -27.11 Percentage change | -5.7% |
| 1954 | -13.9 Percentage change | -48.7% |
| 1955 | 8.84 Percentage change | -163.6% |
| 1956 | -8.12 Percentage change | -191.8% |
| 1957 | 14.72 Percentage change | -281.4% |
| 1958 | -2.07 Percentage change | -114.0% |
| 1959 | -4.1 Percentage change | +98.2% |
| 1960 | -10.27 Percentage change | +150.5% |
| 1961 | 1.57 Percentage change | -115.3% |
| 1962 | 0.1981 Percentage change | -87.4% |
| 1963 | 0.9253 Percentage change | +367.0% |
| 1964 | -6.94 Percentage change | -850.1% |
| 1965 | -9.42 Percentage change | +35.7% |
| 1966 | -14.82 Percentage change | +57.4% |
| 1967 | 6.18 Percentage change | -141.7% |
| 1968 | -6.01 Percentage change | -197.3% |
| 1969 | 1.7 Percentage change | -128.3% |
| 1970 | -3.92 Percentage change | -330.2% |
| 1971 | 0.8804 Percentage change | -122.5% |
| 1972 | -0.5267 Percentage change | -159.8% |
| 1973 | 1.29 Percentage change | -344.7% |
| 1974 | 13.55 Percentage change | +951.1% |
| 1975 | 3.92 Percentage change | -71.1% |
| 1976 | 16.11 Percentage change | +311.2% |
| 1977 | 13.46 Percentage change | -16.5% |
| 1978 | 1.84 Percentage change | -86.3% |
| 1979 | -2.03 Percentage change | -210.3% |
| 1980 | -9.54 Percentage change | +368.8% |
| 1981 | 4.84 Percentage change | -150.8% |
| 1982 | -3.63 Percentage change | -174.9% |
| 1983 | -10.19 Percentage change | +180.7% |
| 1984 | 6.01 Percentage change | -159.0% |
| 1985 | -4.92 Percentage change | -181.8% |
| 1986 | 3.82 Percentage change | -177.5% |
| 1987 | 7 Percentage change | +83.4% |
| 1988 | 6.97 Percentage change | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 7.94 Percentage change | +14.0% |
| 1990 | 0.2169 Percentage change | -97.3% |
| 1991 | -3.53 Percentage change | -1727.9% |
| 1992 | -13.56 Percentage change | +284.1% |
| 1993 | -7.78 Percentage change | -42.7% |
| 1994 | -5.62 Percentage change | -27.8% |
| 1995 | 0.3554 Percentage change | -106.3% |
| 1996 | 5.79 Percentage change | +1530.0% |
| 1997 | 13.83 Percentage change | +138.7% |
| 1998 | -1.49 Percentage change | -110.8% |
| 1999 | -3.34 Percentage change | +124.2% |
| 2000 | 14.44 Percentage change | -532.7% |
| 2001 | 15.95 Percentage change | +10.5% |
| 2002 | 1.82 Percentage change | -88.6% |
| 2003 | -15.91 Percentage change | -976.4% |
| 2004 | -4.98 Percentage change | -68.7% |
| 2005 | -0.3195 Percentage change | -93.6% |
| 2006 | 8.59 Percentage change | -2789.8% |
| 2007 | -1.73 Percentage change | -120.1% |
| 2008 | -12.74 Percentage change | +637.9% |
| 2009 | -0.9216 Percentage change | -92.8% |
| 2010 | -6.93 Percentage change | +652.2% |
| 2011 | 5.24 Percentage change | -175.6% |
| 2012 | -3.47 Percentage change | -166.2% |
| 2013 | -4.39 Percentage change | +26.5% |
| 2014 | -6.55 Percentage change | +49.2% |
| 2015 | -6.92 Percentage change | +5.7% |
| 2016 | -17.6 Percentage change | +154.3% |
| 2017 | -13.74 Percentage change | -21.9% |
| 2018 | -9.68 Percentage change | -29.5% |
| 2019 | -17.9 Percentage change | +84.8% |
| 2020 | -3.67 Percentage change | -79.5% |
| 2021 | 5.57 Percentage change | -251.5% |
| 2022 | 5.48 Percentage change | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 2.52 Percentage change | -54.0% |
| 2024 | -14.38 Percentage change | -670.6% |
| 2025 | 8.52 Percentage change | -159.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | -8.93 Percentage change | -32.5 Percentage change | 14.72 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | -3.69 Percentage change | -14.82 Percentage change | 6.18 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.46 Percentage change | -3.92 Percentage change | 16.11 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8314 Percentage change | -10.19 Percentage change | 7.94 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.51 Percentage change | -13.56 Percentage change | 13.83 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.42 Percentage change | -15.91 Percentage change | 15.95 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -8.19 Percentage change | -17.9 Percentage change | 5.24 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6726 Percentage change | -14.38 Percentage change | 8.52 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 1 India 12.52 Percentage change compare
- 2 Northern Mariana Islands 10.19 Percentage change compare
- 3 Mauritius 9.84 Percentage change compare
- 5 New Caledonia 8.33 Percentage change compare
- 6 Panama 7.64 Percentage change compare
- 7 Philippines 7.07 Percentage change compare
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 20.46 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 t per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.012 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate 3.25 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per capita 0.0126 1000 USD per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in South Africa?
- Historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in South Africa was 8.52 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 16.11 Percentage change in 1976.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -32.5 Percentage change in 1951.
- How does South Africa rank for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly?
- South Africa ranks 4th out of 168 countries with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 223.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa 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