Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Korea
Korea: Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was -5.6 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Korea, 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 Korea stood at -5.6 Percentage change.
That represents a change of down 251.3% on the previous year and down 481.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Korea peaked at 6.27 Percentage change in 1998 and was at its lowest, -14.17 Percentage change, in 1952.
Korea ranks 41st of 72 groups 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 Korea, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | -7.14 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | -9.23 Percentage change | +29.2% |
| 1952 | -14.17 Percentage change | +53.5% |
| 1953 | -10.01 Percentage change | -29.3% |
| 1954 | 1.5 Percentage change | -114.9% |
| 1955 | -3 Percentage change | -300.4% |
| 1956 | -1.6 Percentage change | -46.7% |
| 1957 | -0.0521 Percentage change | -96.7% |
| 1958 | 3.95 Percentage change | -7684.9% |
| 1959 | 2.15 Percentage change | -45.5% |
| 1960 | 2.54 Percentage change | +18.2% |
| 1961 | 2.57 Percentage change | +1.1% |
| 1962 | -4.39 Percentage change | -270.7% |
| 1963 | 4.75 Percentage change | -208.2% |
| 1964 | 0.8093 Percentage change | -83.0% |
| 1965 | -4.15 Percentage change | -612.3% |
| 1966 | 0.9909 Percentage change | -123.9% |
| 1967 | -0.1975 Percentage change | -119.9% |
| 1968 | -5.38 Percentage change | +2622.9% |
| 1969 | 4.88 Percentage change | -190.8% |
| 1970 | 1.7 Percentage change | -65.3% |
| 1971 | 2.18 Percentage change | +28.9% |
| 1972 | 4.71 Percentage change | +115.5% |
| 1973 | 2.48 Percentage change | -47.3% |
| 1974 | 2.99 Percentage change | +20.4% |
| 1975 | 1.92 Percentage change | -35.6% |
| 1976 | 4.13 Percentage change | +114.8% |
| 1977 | 1.14 Percentage change | -72.5% |
| 1978 | -0.9572 Percentage change | -184.2% |
| 1979 | 0.6774 Percentage change | -170.8% |
| 1980 | 4.43 Percentage change | +553.5% |
| 1981 | 3.32 Percentage change | -24.9% |
| 1982 | 0.282 Percentage change | -91.5% |
| 1983 | 3.66 Percentage change | +1196.3% |
| 1984 | -0.2106 Percentage change | -105.8% |
| 1985 | 1.07 Percentage change | -609.0% |
| 1986 | 3.69 Percentage change | +243.9% |
| 1987 | 2.21 Percentage change | -40.1% |
| 1988 | -4.83 Percentage change | -318.7% |
| 1989 | -0.2633 Percentage change | -94.6% |
| 1990 | 3.24 Percentage change | -1331.5% |
| 1991 | 2.16 Percentage change | -33.3% |
| 1992 | -1.45 Percentage change | -167.3% |
| 1993 | 3.83 Percentage change | -363.3% |
| 1994 | -2.98 Percentage change | -177.8% |
| 1995 | -7.23 Percentage change | +142.7% |
| 1996 | -1.14 Percentage change | -84.2% |
| 1997 | -2.45 Percentage change | +114.5% |
| 1998 | 6.27 Percentage change | -356.3% |
| 1999 | 0.7393 Percentage change | -88.2% |
| 2000 | 0.1581 Percentage change | -78.6% |
| 2001 | 0.1805 Percentage change | +14.1% |
| 2002 | 0.0548 Percentage change | -69.7% |
| 2003 | 4.16 Percentage change | +7489.7% |
| 2004 | -6.81 Percentage change | -263.8% |
| 2005 | -2.32 Percentage change | -65.9% |
| 2006 | -1.89 Percentage change | -18.7% |
| 2007 | 1.79 Percentage change | -195.1% |
| 2008 | -2.93 Percentage change | -263.2% |
| 2009 | -3.98 Percentage change | +35.7% |
| 2010 | 1.66 Percentage change | -141.7% |
| 2011 | 5.02 Percentage change | +202.5% |
| 2012 | -0.4854 Percentage change | -109.7% |
| 2013 | 4.18 Percentage change | -960.7% |
| 2014 | -0.3412 Percentage change | -108.2% |
| 2015 | -0.9637 Percentage change | +182.4% |
| 2016 | 0.1374 Percentage change | -114.3% |
| 2017 | -7.29 Percentage change | -5403.8% |
| 2018 | -0.3511 Percentage change | -95.2% |
| 2019 | -2.92 Percentage change | +730.6% |
| 2020 | -2.03 Percentage change | -30.5% |
| 2021 | 3.65 Percentage change | -280.2% |
| 2022 | -5.43 Percentage change | -248.7% |
| 2023 | 0.1221 Percentage change | -102.2% |
| 2024 | 3.7 Percentage change | +2933.6% |
| 2025 | -5.6 Percentage change | -251.3% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Korea 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | +7684.9% | -0.0521 Percentage change | 3.95 Percentage change |
| 2003 | +7489.7% | 0.0548 Percentage change | 4.16 Percentage change |
| 2017 | -5403.8% | 0.1374 Percentage change | -7.29 Percentage change |
| 2024 | +2933.6% | 0.1221 Percentage change | 3.7 Percentage change |
| 1968 | -2622.9% | -0.1975 Percentage change | -5.38 Percentage change |
| 1990 | +1331.5% | -0.2633 Percentage change | 3.24 Percentage change |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | -3.76 Percentage change | -14.17 Percentage change | 3.95 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.2436 Percentage change | -5.38 Percentage change | 4.88 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.1 Percentage change | -0.9572 Percentage change | 4.71 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.33 Percentage change | -4.83 Percentage change | 4.43 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0996 Percentage change | -7.23 Percentage change | 6.27 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.16 Percentage change | -6.81 Percentage change | 4.16 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.1358 Percentage change | -7.29 Percentage change | 5.02 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.9306 Percentage change | -5.6 Percentage change | 3.7 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near Korea
- 38 Suriname 1.4 Percentage change compare
- 39 Indonesia 1.36 Percentage change compare
- 40 Sweden 1.1 Percentage change compare
- 41 Norway 0.9857 Percentage change compare
- 42 Liechtenstein 0.7508 Percentage change compare
- 43 Mexico 0.6859 Percentage change compare
- 44 Albania 0.6356 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Korea
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.6 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.83 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 0.248 Percentage change (2024)
- Land use hidden — Total area, annual growth rate 0.01 % change on previous year (2023)
- Land use hidden — Total area 100,450 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Cropland 15,120 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Land area, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
- Land use hidden — Land area 97,600 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Other areas, annual growth rate 1.36 % change on previous year (2023)
- Land use hidden — Permanent meadows and pastures, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Korea?
- Historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Korea was -5.6 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 Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.27 Percentage change in 1998.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was -14.17 Percentage change in 1952.
- How does Korea rank for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- Korea ranks 41st out of 72 groups with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 481.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Korea 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
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
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