Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa
Western Africa: Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly was -6.59 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa, 1950–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
The most recent figure for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa is -6.59 Percentage change, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 13.9% on the previous year and down 165.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa peaked at 10.34 Percentage change in 1957 and was at its lowest, -8.05 Percentage change, in 2021.
That places Western Africa 49th out of 72 groups with data for 2025, putting it 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 Western Africa, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | -2.18 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | 1.41 Percentage change | -164.7% |
| 1952 | 0.1564 Percentage change | -88.9% |
| 1953 | 0.0499 Percentage change | -68.1% |
| 1954 | 5.84 Percentage change | +11597.9% |
| 1955 | 2.29 Percentage change | -60.8% |
| 1956 | 1.61 Percentage change | -29.5% |
| 1957 | 10.34 Percentage change | +541.0% |
| 1958 | -0.0662 Percentage change | -100.6% |
| 1959 | -4.37 Percentage change | +6495.4% |
| 1960 | -3.11 Percentage change | -28.8% |
| 1961 | -3.58 Percentage change | +15.2% |
| 1962 | 1 Percentage change | -127.9% |
| 1963 | 2.05 Percentage change | +104.9% |
| 1964 | -3.1 Percentage change | -251.1% |
| 1965 | 1.15 Percentage change | -137.1% |
| 1966 | -2.74 Percentage change | -338.5% |
| 1967 | 4.33 Percentage change | -258.1% |
| 1968 | 9.39 Percentage change | +116.9% |
| 1969 | 8.51 Percentage change | -9.4% |
| 1970 | 2.83 Percentage change | -66.8% |
| 1971 | 4.95 Percentage change | +75.0% |
| 1972 | 5.83 Percentage change | +17.8% |
| 1973 | 0.6517 Percentage change | -88.8% |
| 1974 | 3.06 Percentage change | +369.3% |
| 1975 | 2.27 Percentage change | -25.9% |
| 1976 | 7.37 Percentage change | +225.0% |
| 1977 | 0.1662 Percentage change | -97.7% |
| 1978 | 6.53 Percentage change | +3829.7% |
| 1979 | 8.26 Percentage change | +26.4% |
| 1980 | 5.47 Percentage change | -33.8% |
| 1981 | 4.83 Percentage change | -11.7% |
| 1982 | 2.72 Percentage change | -43.6% |
| 1983 | -4.94 Percentage change | -281.3% |
| 1984 | 1.49 Percentage change | -130.2% |
| 1985 | 3.68 Percentage change | +146.5% |
| 1986 | 2.86 Percentage change | -22.3% |
| 1987 | -1.48 Percentage change | -151.8% |
| 1988 | 5.47 Percentage change | -469.6% |
| 1989 | -0.8646 Percentage change | -115.8% |
| 1990 | -0.1238 Percentage change | -85.7% |
| 1991 | 3.67 Percentage change | -3068.3% |
| 1992 | -1.84 Percentage change | -150.1% |
| 1993 | 0.4332 Percentage change | -123.5% |
| 1994 | 4.8 Percentage change | +1008.4% |
| 1995 | 0.231 Percentage change | -95.2% |
| 1996 | 0.0612 Percentage change | -73.5% |
| 1997 | 1.31 Percentage change | +2040.8% |
| 1998 | -2.53 Percentage change | -292.9% |
| 1999 | 4.57 Percentage change | -280.6% |
| 2000 | -1.87 Percentage change | -140.9% |
| 2001 | -4.2 Percentage change | +125.1% |
| 2002 | -5.66 Percentage change | +34.7% |
| 2003 | -0.9311 Percentage change | -83.6% |
| 2004 | -2.67 Percentage change | +187.2% |
| 2005 | -0.2816 Percentage change | -89.5% |
| 2006 | -2.86 Percentage change | +917.0% |
| 2007 | -3.55 Percentage change | +23.9% |
| 2008 | -0.8881 Percentage change | -75.0% |
| 2009 | -1.79 Percentage change | +101.9% |
| 2010 | 0.3519 Percentage change | -119.6% |
| 2011 | -3.83 Percentage change | -1187.4% |
| 2012 | 0.9381 Percentage change | -124.5% |
| 2013 | -1.17 Percentage change | -224.7% |
| 2014 | -0.9185 Percentage change | -21.5% |
| 2015 | -2.48 Percentage change | +170.1% |
| 2016 | -2.31 Percentage change | -7.0% |
| 2017 | -3.37 Percentage change | +46.1% |
| 2018 | 0.7317 Percentage change | -121.7% |
| 2019 | 2.44 Percentage change | +233.6% |
| 2020 | -4.13 Percentage change | -269.2% |
| 2021 | -8.05 Percentage change | +94.9% |
| 2022 | -4.79 Percentage change | -40.6% |
| 2023 | -6.11 Percentage change | +27.7% |
| 2024 | -7.65 Percentage change | +25.2% |
| 2025 | -6.59 Percentage change | -13.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.51 Percentage change | -4.37 Percentage change | 10.34 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.39 Percentage change | -3.58 Percentage change | 9.39 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.19 Percentage change | 0.1662 Percentage change | 8.26 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.92 Percentage change | -4.94 Percentage change | 5.47 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.06 Percentage change | -2.53 Percentage change | 4.8 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -2.47 Percentage change | -5.66 Percentage change | -0.2816 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.9612 Percentage change | -3.83 Percentage change | 2.44 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -6.22 Percentage change | -8.05 Percentage change | -4.13 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near Western Africa
- 46 Belarus -0.1993 Percentage change compare
- 47 Chile -0.3357 Percentage change compare
- 48 Guadeloupe -0.4134 Percentage change compare
- 49 Switzerland -0.4333 Percentage change compare
- 50 Portugal -0.5127 Percentage change compare
- 51 Puerto Rico -0.5906 Percentage change compare
- 52 Malawi -0.8098 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Western Africa
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -6.69 Percentage change (2025)
- Temperature change 1.37 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.311 °C (2025)
- Wood fuel — Production 221.11 million m3 (2024)
- Roundwood, coniferous — Production 51,000 m3 (2024)
- Wood fuel, coniferous — Production 0 m3 (2024)
- Wood fuel, non-coniferous — Production 221.11 million m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Production 20.68 million m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Export quantity 355,916 m3 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa?
- Historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa was -6.59 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 Western Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 10.34 Percentage change in 1957.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly recorded in Western Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -8.05 Percentage change in 2021.
- How does Western Africa rank for historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly?
- Western Africa ranks 49th out of 72 groups with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — cropland soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Western Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 165.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Western 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