Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Townsville
Townsville: Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly was 12.4 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Townsville, 1950–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
Townsville recorded 12.4 Percentage change for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and up 184.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Townsville peaked at 24.87 Percentage change in 1998 and was at its lowest, -19.39 Percentage change, in 2002.
Townsville ranks 26th of 2960 regions 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 Townsville, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 24.52 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | -13.65 Percentage change | -155.7% |
| 1952 | -4.41 Percentage change | -67.7% |
| 1953 | -14.98 Percentage change | +239.4% |
| 1954 | -3.22 Percentage change | -78.5% |
| 1955 | -2.73 Percentage change | -15.2% |
| 1956 | 16.39 Percentage change | -701.2% |
| 1957 | 3.34 Percentage change | -79.6% |
| 1958 | -1.07 Percentage change | -132.0% |
| 1959 | 7.04 Percentage change | -758.2% |
| 1960 | -3.37 Percentage change | -147.9% |
| 1961 | -12.46 Percentage change | +269.5% |
| 1962 | -9.36 Percentage change | -24.9% |
| 1963 | 1.27 Percentage change | -113.5% |
| 1964 | -7.71 Percentage change | -708.5% |
| 1965 | -3.49 Percentage change | -54.7% |
| 1966 | -14.33 Percentage change | +310.2% |
| 1967 | -9.64 Percentage change | -32.7% |
| 1968 | -6.45 Percentage change | -33.1% |
| 1969 | -14.92 Percentage change | +131.3% |
| 1970 | -10.16 Percentage change | -31.9% |
| 1971 | 6.47 Percentage change | -163.6% |
| 1972 | -4.98 Percentage change | -177.0% |
| 1973 | -0.2882 Percentage change | -94.2% |
| 1974 | 9.89 Percentage change | -3531.8% |
| 1975 | 12.77 Percentage change | +29.1% |
| 1976 | 10.85 Percentage change | -15.0% |
| 1977 | 1.71 Percentage change | -84.3% |
| 1978 | 2.87 Percentage change | +68.2% |
| 1979 | 1.58 Percentage change | -44.9% |
| 1980 | -4.17 Percentage change | -363.3% |
| 1981 | 10.79 Percentage change | -358.9% |
| 1982 | -4.48 Percentage change | -141.5% |
| 1983 | 1.8 Percentage change | -140.3% |
| 1984 | -2.82 Percentage change | -256.2% |
| 1985 | 4.84 Percentage change | -272.0% |
| 1986 | 10.06 Percentage change | +107.7% |
| 1987 | -6.73 Percentage change | -166.9% |
| 1988 | 10.68 Percentage change | -258.7% |
| 1989 | 14.59 Percentage change | +36.6% |
| 1990 | -1.4 Percentage change | -109.6% |
| 1991 | -6.57 Percentage change | +370.9% |
| 1992 | -16.85 Percentage change | +156.3% |
| 1993 | -8.44 Percentage change | -49.9% |
| 1994 | -9.73 Percentage change | +15.3% |
| 1995 | -9.76 Percentage change | +0.2% |
| 1996 | -9.51 Percentage change | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 0.157 Percentage change | -101.7% |
| 1998 | 24.87 Percentage change | +15746.7% |
| 1999 | 10.35 Percentage change | -58.4% |
| 2000 | 11.65 Percentage change | +12.6% |
| 2001 | -3.09 Percentage change | -126.5% |
| 2002 | -19.39 Percentage change | +527.1% |
| 2003 | -11.86 Percentage change | -38.8% |
| 2004 | -3.89 Percentage change | -67.2% |
| 2005 | -11.52 Percentage change | +196.4% |
| 2006 | 3.79 Percentage change | -132.9% |
| 2007 | 1.03 Percentage change | -72.8% |
| 2008 | 4.6 Percentage change | +347.5% |
| 2009 | -5.44 Percentage change | -218.2% |
| 2010 | 22.25 Percentage change | -509.1% |
| 2011 | 7.28 Percentage change | -67.3% |
| 2012 | 12.27 Percentage change | +68.7% |
| 2013 | 2.96 Percentage change | -75.9% |
| 2014 | -1.28 Percentage change | -143.2% |
| 2015 | -14.75 Percentage change | +1054.4% |
| 2016 | -0.2862 Percentage change | -98.1% |
| 2017 | 0.0629 Percentage change | -122.0% |
| 2018 | -9.61 Percentage change | -15382.5% |
| 2019 | 5.32 Percentage change | -155.4% |
| 2020 | 2.32 Percentage change | -56.3% |
| 2021 | 21.8 Percentage change | +837.6% |
| 2022 | 19.45 Percentage change | -10.7% |
| 2023 | 3.63 Percentage change | -81.3% |
| 2024 | 12.76 Percentage change | +251.4% |
| 2025 | 12.4 Percentage change | -2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.12 Percentage change | -14.98 Percentage change | 24.52 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | -8.05 Percentage change | -14.92 Percentage change | 1.27 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.07 Percentage change | -10.16 Percentage change | 12.77 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.46 Percentage change | -6.73 Percentage change | 14.59 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | -2.69 Percentage change | -16.85 Percentage change | 24.87 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -3.41 Percentage change | -19.39 Percentage change | 11.65 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.42 Percentage change | -14.75 Percentage change | 22.25 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.06 Percentage change | 2.32 Percentage change | 21.8 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near Townsville
- 23 Italy 2.47 Percentage change compare
- 24 Nepal 2.41 Percentage change compare
- 25 Papua New Guinea 2.24 Percentage change compare
- 26 Ireland 2.17 Percentage change compare
- 27 Suriname 1.91 Percentage change compare
- 28 New Zealand 1.69 Percentage change compare
- 29 Niger 1.65 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Townsville
- Drought - Cities and FUAs — Land soil moisture anomaly 18.9 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 19.21 Percentage change (2025)
- Greenhouse gas emissions - Cities and FUAs — GHG emissions from waste 0.03 Tonnes of CO2-equivalent (2024)
- River flooding exposure — Cropland share exposed to river flooding 53.7 Percentage of agricultural land area (2022)
- Total and environment-related patents - FUAs — Patent applications 6.1 Patents (2022)
- Land surface temperature - Cities and FUAs — Daytime summer land 35.57 Degrees celsius (2024)
- Land surface temperature - Cities and FUAs — Daytime winter land 27.21 Degrees celsius (2024)
- Land surface temperature - Cities and FUAs — Daytime yearly land 30.98 Degrees celsius (2024)
- Land surface temperature - Cities and FUAs — Nighttime summer land 23.54 Degrees celsius (2024)
- Land surface temperature - Cities and FUAs — Nighttime winter land 16 Degrees celsius (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Townsville?
- Historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Townsville was 12.4 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 Townsville?
- The highest recorded value was 24.87 Percentage change in 1998.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly recorded in Townsville?
- The lowest recorded value was -19.39 Percentage change in 2002.
- How does Townsville rank for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly?
- Townsville ranks 26th out of 2960 regions with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Townsville?
- Over the last ten years it is up 184.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Townsville 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