Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in India
India: Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was 11.05 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in India, 1950–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
In 2025, historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in India stood at 11.05 Percentage change.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 141.0% on the previous year and up 680.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in India peaked at 18.5 Percentage change in 1951 and was at its lowest, -8.74 Percentage change, in 1987.
That places India 3rd out of 232 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.92 Percentage change | -3.01 Percentage change | 18.5 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | -0.4352 Percentage change | -5.19 Percentage change | 5.81 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.47 Percentage change | -6 Percentage change | 6.57 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | -2.42 Percentage change | -8.74 Percentage change | 3.03 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.02 Percentage change | -3.34 Percentage change | 9.92 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.1613 Percentage change | -5.24 Percentage change | 4.55 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.43 Percentage change | -3.79 Percentage change | 7.72 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.82 Percentage change | 2.73 Percentage change | 11.05 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
- 1 Palau 14.18 Percentage change compare
- 2 Turks and Caicos Islands 11.79 Percentage change compare
- 4 Mauritius 9.92 Percentage change compare
- 5 Northern Mariana Islands 8.23 Percentage change compare
- 6 New Caledonia 7.82 Percentage change compare
More environment data for India
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 12.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.954 °C (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 4.04 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 4.76 Percentage change (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified — Import value 22.39 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified — Import value 0 1000 USD per person (2024)
- Total fibre furnish — Production, annual growth rate 1.6 % change on previous year (2024)
- Recovered paper — Production 8.00 million t (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in India?
- Historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in India was 11.05 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 18.5 Percentage change in 1951.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was -8.74 Percentage change in 1987.
- How does India rank for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- India ranks 3rd out of 232 countries with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is up 680.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India 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.
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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