Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly was -7.25 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1950–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded -7.25 Percentage change for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in 2025.
That represents a change of down 906.6% on the previous year and down 540.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 6.56 Percentage change in 2008 and was at its lowest, -12.46 Percentage change, in 1955.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 124th of 168 countries on this measure, 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | -0.7743 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | 1.5 Percentage change | -294.1% |
| 1952 | -3.2 Percentage change | -312.7% |
| 1953 | 3.13 Percentage change | -197.8% |
| 1954 | 1.72 Percentage change | -45.0% |
| 1955 | -12.46 Percentage change | -824.5% |
| 1956 | -4.15 Percentage change | -66.7% |
| 1957 | -6.5 Percentage change | +56.9% |
| 1958 | 3.61 Percentage change | -155.5% |
| 1959 | -10.21 Percentage change | -382.6% |
| 1960 | -1.35 Percentage change | -86.8% |
| 1961 | -9.8 Percentage change | +624.8% |
| 1962 | -5.45 Percentage change | -44.3% |
| 1963 | 0.2319 Percentage change | -104.3% |
| 1964 | -8.64 Percentage change | -3823.4% |
| 1965 | -0.235 Percentage change | -97.3% |
| 1966 | 1.41 Percentage change | -699.3% |
| 1967 | 0.9202 Percentage change | -34.7% |
| 1968 | 3.66 Percentage change | +297.8% |
| 1969 | -0.6946 Percentage change | -119.0% |
| 1970 | -0.5283 Percentage change | -23.9% |
| 1971 | 2.82 Percentage change | -634.1% |
| 1972 | 0.7308 Percentage change | -74.1% |
| 1973 | -0.3217 Percentage change | -144.0% |
| 1974 | -0.5172 Percentage change | +60.8% |
| 1975 | -5.92 Percentage change | +1045.4% |
| 1976 | -6.57 Percentage change | +10.9% |
| 1977 | -0.5589 Percentage change | -91.5% |
| 1978 | 0.3347 Percentage change | -159.9% |
| 1979 | 2.11 Percentage change | +531.7% |
| 1980 | 6.38 Percentage change | +201.9% |
| 1981 | 2.96 Percentage change | -53.6% |
| 1982 | -0.7501 Percentage change | -125.3% |
| 1983 | 0.5179 Percentage change | -169.0% |
| 1984 | -5.47 Percentage change | -1156.5% |
| 1985 | 3.42 Percentage change | -162.5% |
| 1986 | 2.36 Percentage change | -31.1% |
| 1987 | 3.06 Percentage change | +29.7% |
| 1988 | 3.78 Percentage change | +23.6% |
| 1989 | -5.73 Percentage change | -251.6% |
| 1990 | -7.97 Percentage change | +39.2% |
| 1991 | -1.88 Percentage change | -76.4% |
| 1992 | 2.66 Percentage change | -241.3% |
| 1993 | -0.1208 Percentage change | -104.5% |
| 1994 | -0.7095 Percentage change | +487.2% |
| 1995 | -9.58 Percentage change | +1250.9% |
| 1996 | -2.6 Percentage change | -72.9% |
| 1997 | -2.23 Percentage change | -14.1% |
| 1998 | 3.74 Percentage change | -267.9% |
| 1999 | -0.8096 Percentage change | -121.6% |
| 2000 | 5.73 Percentage change | -807.5% |
| 2001 | 1.2 Percentage change | -79.0% |
| 2002 | 0.6885 Percentage change | -42.7% |
| 2003 | -2.48 Percentage change | -460.4% |
| 2004 | 2.15 Percentage change | -186.7% |
| 2005 | 2.53 Percentage change | +17.5% |
| 2006 | 1.44 Percentage change | -42.9% |
| 2007 | 2.5 Percentage change | +73.5% |
| 2008 | 6.56 Percentage change | +161.9% |
| 2009 | -3.94 Percentage change | -160.1% |
| 2010 | -1.02 Percentage change | -74.1% |
| 2011 | -7.33 Percentage change | +619.0% |
| 2012 | 5.19 Percentage change | -170.8% |
| 2013 | -0.6529 Percentage change | -112.6% |
| 2014 | 1.79 Percentage change | -374.7% |
| 2015 | 1.65 Percentage change | -8.3% |
| 2016 | 0.8807 Percentage change | -46.5% |
| 2017 | 4.16 Percentage change | +372.8% |
| 2018 | -3.81 Percentage change | -191.5% |
| 2019 | 0.1869 Percentage change | -104.9% |
| 2020 | -1.77 Percentage change | -1048.4% |
| 2021 | 1.94 Percentage change | -209.4% |
| 2022 | -1.16 Percentage change | -159.7% |
| 2023 | 2.84 Percentage change | -345.0% |
| 2024 | 0.8982 Percentage change | -68.3% |
| 2025 | -7.25 Percentage change | -906.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | -2.73 Percentage change | -12.46 Percentage change | 3.61 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | -1.99 Percentage change | -9.8 Percentage change | 3.66 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.842 Percentage change | -6.57 Percentage change | 2.82 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.05 Percentage change | -5.73 Percentage change | 6.38 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.95 Percentage change | -9.58 Percentage change | 3.74 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.64 Percentage change | -3.94 Percentage change | 6.56 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1048 Percentage change | -7.33 Percentage change | 5.19 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.7504 Percentage change | -7.25 Percentage change | 2.84 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 121 Comoros -6.9 Percentage change compare
- 122 Bolivia, Plurinational State of -7.09 Percentage change compare
- 123 Burkina Faso -7.18 Percentage change compare
- 125 Tanzania, United Republic of -7.29 Percentage change compare
- 126 Georgia -7.33 Percentage change compare
- 127 Paraguay -7.6 Percentage change compare
More environment data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -3.13 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.35 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.22 Percentage change (2024)
- Heating Degree Days 5,420 (2024)
- Cooling Degree Days 28.37 (2024)
- Total fisheries production 981,329 metric tons (2024)
- Capture fisheries production 755,323 metric tons (2024)
- Aquaculture production 226,006 metric tons (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Waste 2.03 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Transport (Energy) 1.12 Mt CO2e (2024)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was -7.25 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 6.56 Percentage change in 2008.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was -12.46 Percentage change in 1955.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 124th out of 168 countries with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 540.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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