Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Bhutan
Bhutan: Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was 0.2782 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Bhutan, 1950–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
The most recent figure for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Bhutan is 0.2782 Percentage change, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 165.2% on the previous year and up 127.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Bhutan peaked at 4.28 Percentage change in 2003 and was at its lowest, -3.25 Percentage change, in 1999.
Bhutan ranks 54th of 191 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 — Land soil moisture anomaly in Bhutan, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.24 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | 2.5 Percentage change | +11.5% |
| 1952 | 1.86 Percentage change | -25.7% |
| 1953 | 0.3096 Percentage change | -83.3% |
| 1954 | 0.3237 Percentage change | +4.6% |
| 1955 | -1.85 Percentage change | -672.4% |
| 1956 | -1.17 Percentage change | -37.0% |
| 1957 | -0.4166 Percentage change | -64.3% |
| 1958 | 2.04 Percentage change | -589.2% |
| 1959 | 3.24 Percentage change | +59.0% |
| 1960 | -1.5 Percentage change | -146.2% |
| 1961 | 3.46 Percentage change | -331.2% |
| 1962 | -0.0941 Percentage change | -102.7% |
| 1963 | 0.0323 Percentage change | -134.3% |
| 1964 | -2.41 Percentage change | -7550.6% |
| 1965 | -1.93 Percentage change | -19.7% |
| 1966 | -2.05 Percentage change | +5.9% |
| 1967 | -0.0384 Percentage change | -98.1% |
| 1968 | 0.0823 Percentage change | -314.4% |
| 1969 | -1.83 Percentage change | -2319.9% |
| 1970 | 0.5303 Percentage change | -129.0% |
| 1971 | 2.42 Percentage change | +356.5% |
| 1972 | 2.2 Percentage change | -9.1% |
| 1973 | 0.9373 Percentage change | -57.4% |
| 1974 | 1.38 Percentage change | +46.9% |
| 1975 | -1.11 Percentage change | -181.0% |
| 1976 | -1.04 Percentage change | -6.7% |
| 1977 | 1.55 Percentage change | -249.0% |
| 1978 | -0.3419 Percentage change | -122.1% |
| 1979 | -1.26 Percentage change | +269.7% |
| 1980 | 0.2887 Percentage change | -122.8% |
| 1981 | -0.6257 Percentage change | -316.7% |
| 1982 | -1.51 Percentage change | +141.0% |
| 1983 | -1.39 Percentage change | -8.1% |
| 1984 | -0.655 Percentage change | -52.7% |
| 1985 | 0.4154 Percentage change | -163.4% |
| 1986 | -1.76 Percentage change | -523.8% |
| 1987 | 0.3055 Percentage change | -117.4% |
| 1988 | -3.11 Percentage change | -1117.8% |
| 1989 | -1.03 Percentage change | -66.8% |
| 1990 | 1.26 Percentage change | -222.0% |
| 1991 | 0.9454 Percentage change | -24.9% |
| 1992 | -0.1421 Percentage change | -115.0% |
| 1993 | 0.3089 Percentage change | -317.3% |
| 1994 | 1.27 Percentage change | +312.1% |
| 1995 | 0.0457 Percentage change | -96.4% |
| 1996 | 3.46 Percentage change | +7476.3% |
| 1997 | 0.2323 Percentage change | -93.3% |
| 1998 | 1.03 Percentage change | +344.8% |
| 1999 | -3.25 Percentage change | -414.3% |
| 2000 | -0.8868 Percentage change | -72.7% |
| 2001 | -0.171 Percentage change | -80.7% |
| 2002 | 0.0498 Percentage change | -129.1% |
| 2003 | 4.28 Percentage change | +8492.6% |
| 2004 | 1.34 Percentage change | -68.8% |
| 2005 | 0.4852 Percentage change | -63.7% |
| 2006 | -3.04 Percentage change | -726.3% |
| 2007 | -0.6644 Percentage change | -78.1% |
| 2008 | 0.2632 Percentage change | -139.6% |
| 2009 | 0.9316 Percentage change | +253.9% |
| 2010 | 1.6 Percentage change | +72.1% |
| 2011 | -0.3759 Percentage change | -123.4% |
| 2012 | -2.07 Percentage change | +451.0% |
| 2013 | -0.9553 Percentage change | -53.9% |
| 2014 | -1.99 Percentage change | +108.6% |
| 2015 | -1.02 Percentage change | -48.8% |
| 2016 | -0.2773 Percentage change | -72.8% |
| 2017 | 1.01 Percentage change | -463.4% |
| 2018 | -0.6743 Percentage change | -166.9% |
| 2019 | 1.93 Percentage change | -386.2% |
| 2020 | -0.8385 Percentage change | -143.5% |
| 2021 | -0.6064 Percentage change | -27.7% |
| 2022 | 0.3178 Percentage change | -152.4% |
| 2023 | -2.56 Percentage change | -905.8% |
| 2024 | -0.4265 Percentage change | -83.3% |
| 2025 | 0.2782 Percentage change | -165.2% |
Bhutan compared with similar countries
- Bhutan's 0.2782 Percentage change is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is -5.73 Percentage change. (41 countries reporting)
- Bhutan's 0.2782 Percentage change is below the median for South Asia, which is 2.73 Percentage change, 10% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Bhutan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +8492.6% | 0.0498 Percentage change | 4.28 Percentage change |
| 1964 | -7550.6% | 0.0323 Percentage change | -2.41 Percentage change |
| 1996 | +7476.3% | 0.0457 Percentage change | 3.46 Percentage change |
| 1969 | -2319.9% | 0.0823 Percentage change | -1.83 Percentage change |
| 1988 | -1117.8% | 0.3055 Percentage change | -3.11 Percentage change |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.908 Percentage change | -1.85 Percentage change | 3.24 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | -0.6266 Percentage change | -2.41 Percentage change | 3.46 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.5256 Percentage change | -1.26 Percentage change | 2.42 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.9065 Percentage change | -3.11 Percentage change | 0.4154 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.5172 Percentage change | -3.25 Percentage change | 3.46 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2579 Percentage change | -3.04 Percentage change | 4.28 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.2827 Percentage change | -2.07 Percentage change | 1.93 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.6394 Percentage change | -2.56 Percentage change | 0.3178 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
- 51 Greenland 0.3961 Percentage change compare
- 52 Cabo Verde -8.02 Percentage change compare
- 52 Ecuador 0.3767 Percentage change compare
- 53 Samoa 0.3482 Percentage change compare
- 55 Myanmar -0.016 Percentage change compare
- 56 Belarus -0.1734 Percentage change compare
- 57 New Zealand -0.2131 Percentage change compare
- 57 Moldova -10.25 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Bhutan
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.5977 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.257 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 2.08 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.487 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -5.53 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Bhutan?
- Historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Bhutan was 0.2782 Percentage change in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 4.28 Percentage change in 2003.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was -3.25 Percentage change in 1999.
- How does Bhutan rank for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- Bhutan ranks 54th out of 191 countries with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 127.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bhutan data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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