Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was -11.35 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Ethiopia, 1950–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded -11.35 Percentage change for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in 2025.
That represents a change of down 671.0% on the previous year and down 244.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Ethiopia peaked at 37.54 Percentage change in 1952 and was at its lowest, -15.3 Percentage change, in 1965.
That places Ethiopia 63rd out of 72 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
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 Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 31.01 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | 30.62 Percentage change | -1.2% |
| 1952 | 37.54 Percentage change | +22.6% |
| 1953 | 35.41 Percentage change | -5.7% |
| 1954 | 10.33 Percentage change | -70.8% |
| 1955 | 0.3377 Percentage change | -96.7% |
| 1956 | 0.774 Percentage change | +129.2% |
| 1957 | 10.29 Percentage change | +1229.1% |
| 1958 | 5.93 Percentage change | -42.3% |
| 1959 | 8.58 Percentage change | +44.6% |
| 1960 | 15.31 Percentage change | +78.5% |
| 1961 | 13.02 Percentage change | -15.0% |
| 1962 | 5.56 Percentage change | -57.3% |
| 1963 | 12.42 Percentage change | +123.6% |
| 1964 | -2.61 Percentage change | -121.0% |
| 1965 | -15.3 Percentage change | +486.6% |
| 1966 | -13.21 Percentage change | -13.7% |
| 1967 | 6.71 Percentage change | -150.8% |
| 1968 | 2.63 Percentage change | -60.8% |
| 1969 | -0.9274 Percentage change | -135.3% |
| 1970 | -4.01 Percentage change | +332.1% |
| 1971 | -1.97 Percentage change | -50.8% |
| 1972 | 5.92 Percentage change | -399.9% |
| 1973 | -4.45 Percentage change | -175.2% |
| 1974 | -2.48 Percentage change | -44.2% |
| 1975 | 1.02 Percentage change | -141.2% |
| 1976 | 2.11 Percentage change | +106.1% |
| 1977 | 12.86 Percentage change | +509.7% |
| 1978 | 9.23 Percentage change | -28.2% |
| 1979 | 12.53 Percentage change | +35.7% |
| 1980 | -0.8795 Percentage change | -107.0% |
| 1981 | 1.59 Percentage change | -280.6% |
| 1982 | 8.68 Percentage change | +446.4% |
| 1983 | 4.19 Percentage change | -51.7% |
| 1984 | -6.44 Percentage change | -253.5% |
| 1985 | 5.9 Percentage change | -191.7% |
| 1986 | 1.94 Percentage change | -67.1% |
| 1987 | 1.66 Percentage change | -14.3% |
| 1988 | -3.12 Percentage change | -287.4% |
| 1989 | 2.61 Percentage change | -183.6% |
| 1990 | 1.36 Percentage change | -47.8% |
| 1991 | -1.66 Percentage change | -222.2% |
| 1992 | -1.15 Percentage change | -30.8% |
| 1993 | 4.17 Percentage change | -462.2% |
| 1994 | 0.5662 Percentage change | -86.4% |
| 1995 | -4.27 Percentage change | -853.7% |
| 1996 | 4.14 Percentage change | -197.1% |
| 1997 | 10.93 Percentage change | +163.8% |
| 1998 | -4.89 Percentage change | -144.8% |
| 1999 | -3.01 Percentage change | -38.4% |
| 2000 | -5.99 Percentage change | +98.6% |
| 2001 | -1.16 Percentage change | -80.7% |
| 2002 | -9.72 Percentage change | +739.1% |
| 2003 | 2.96 Percentage change | -130.5% |
| 2004 | -3.7 Percentage change | -225.0% |
| 2005 | 0.2902 Percentage change | -107.8% |
| 2006 | 4.41 Percentage change | +1420.1% |
| 2007 | -1.48 Percentage change | -133.5% |
| 2008 | -6.63 Percentage change | +348.7% |
| 2009 | -6.48 Percentage change | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 4.29 Percentage change | -166.2% |
| 2011 | -4.08 Percentage change | -195.0% |
| 2012 | -2.66 Percentage change | -34.8% |
| 2013 | -1.15 Percentage change | -56.8% |
| 2014 | -3.91 Percentage change | +240.3% |
| 2015 | -3.3 Percentage change | -15.6% |
| 2016 | -1.59 Percentage change | -51.9% |
| 2017 | 0.5775 Percentage change | -136.4% |
| 2018 | 0.5621 Percentage change | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 0.9528 Percentage change | +69.5% |
| 2020 | 2.5 Percentage change | +162.9% |
| 2021 | -9.13 Percentage change | -464.5% |
| 2022 | -11.61 Percentage change | +27.2% |
| 2023 | 4.7 Percentage change | -140.5% |
| 2024 | -1.47 Percentage change | -131.3% |
| 2025 | -11.35 Percentage change | +671.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Ethiopia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +1420.1% | 0.2902 Percentage change | 4.41 Percentage change |
| 1957 | +1229.1% | 0.774 Percentage change | 10.29 Percentage change |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 17.08 Percentage change | 0.3377 Percentage change | 37.54 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.36 Percentage change | -15.3 Percentage change | 15.31 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.08 Percentage change | -4.45 Percentage change | 12.86 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.61 Percentage change | -6.44 Percentage change | 8.68 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6179 Percentage change | -4.89 Percentage change | 10.93 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -2.75 Percentage change | -9.72 Percentage change | 4.41 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.03 Percentage change | -4.08 Percentage change | 4.29 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -4.39 Percentage change | -11.61 Percentage change | 4.7 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 60 Puerto Rico -0.4091 Percentage change compare
- 61 Portugal -0.6043 Percentage change compare
- 62 Honduras -0.6894 Percentage change compare
- 63 Malawi -0.9153 Percentage change compare
- 64 Montenegro -0.9561 Percentage change compare
- 65 Solomon Islands -1 Percentage change compare
- 66 Senegal -1.15 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Ethiopia
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.57 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -4.52 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -1.55 Percentage change (2024)
- Land use hidden — Land area 1.13 million Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Total area 1.14 million Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Cropland 184,569 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Permanent meadows and pastures 200,000 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Cropland, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
- Land use hidden — Land area, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
- Land use hidden — Other areas, annual growth rate 0.127 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Ethiopia?
- Historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Ethiopia was -11.35 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 37.54 Percentage change in 1952.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was -15.3 Percentage change in 1965.
- How does Ethiopia rank for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- Ethiopia ranks 63rd out of 72 countries with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 244.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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