Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Latin America and the Caribbean
Latin America and the Caribbean: Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was -4.93 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Latin America and the Caribbean, 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 Latin America and the Caribbean is -4.93 Percentage change, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 47.3% on the previous year and down 125.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Latin America and the Caribbean peaked at 3.78 Percentage change in 1985 and was at its lowest, -9.36 Percentage change, in 2024.
That places Latin America and the Caribbean 38th 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 — Land soil moisture anomaly in Latin America and the Caribbean, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | -1.93 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | -1.39 Percentage change | -28.0% |
| 1952 | -1.74 Percentage change | +25.5% |
| 1953 | -0.9207 Percentage change | -47.1% |
| 1954 | -1.75 Percentage change | +90.3% |
| 1955 | -2.53 Percentage change | +44.1% |
| 1956 | 1.24 Percentage change | -148.9% |
| 1957 | -2.81 Percentage change | -327.8% |
| 1958 | -1.79 Percentage change | -36.4% |
| 1959 | -2.7 Percentage change | +51.1% |
| 1960 | -3.6 Percentage change | +33.2% |
| 1961 | -8.47 Percentage change | +135.2% |
| 1962 | -4.38 Percentage change | -48.2% |
| 1963 | -5.75 Percentage change | +31.1% |
| 1964 | -2.42 Percentage change | -57.9% |
| 1965 | -4.01 Percentage change | +65.9% |
| 1966 | -0.9601 Percentage change | -76.1% |
| 1967 | -1.1 Percentage change | +14.5% |
| 1968 | -2.38 Percentage change | +116.3% |
| 1969 | -3.82 Percentage change | +60.6% |
| 1970 | -2.43 Percentage change | -36.4% |
| 1971 | -0.1876 Percentage change | -92.3% |
| 1972 | -1.12 Percentage change | +499.6% |
| 1973 | 2.65 Percentage change | -336.0% |
| 1974 | 0.8761 Percentage change | -67.0% |
| 1975 | 1.07 Percentage change | +22.0% |
| 1976 | 0.0775 Percentage change | -92.7% |
| 1977 | 0.7521 Percentage change | +870.2% |
| 1978 | 2.25 Percentage change | +198.6% |
| 1979 | 0.1974 Percentage change | -91.2% |
| 1980 | 0.3511 Percentage change | +77.8% |
| 1981 | 0.7136 Percentage change | +103.3% |
| 1982 | 1.7 Percentage change | +138.7% |
| 1983 | 1.42 Percentage change | -16.4% |
| 1984 | 3.52 Percentage change | +147.0% |
| 1985 | 3.78 Percentage change | +7.3% |
| 1986 | 2.8 Percentage change | -25.9% |
| 1987 | 1.02 Percentage change | -63.5% |
| 1988 | -1.1 Percentage change | -207.4% |
| 1989 | 1.2 Percentage change | -209.5% |
| 1990 | 1.08 Percentage change | -10.6% |
| 1991 | 0.3655 Percentage change | -66.0% |
| 1992 | 1.8 Percentage change | +391.3% |
| 1993 | 0.8259 Percentage change | -54.0% |
| 1994 | 0.6378 Percentage change | -22.8% |
| 1995 | -1.58 Percentage change | -347.5% |
| 1996 | 0.1236 Percentage change | -107.8% |
| 1997 | -0.8509 Percentage change | -788.4% |
| 1998 | -1.11 Percentage change | +30.7% |
| 1999 | -0.1098 Percentage change | -90.1% |
| 2000 | 0.7684 Percentage change | -799.6% |
| 2001 | 0.1523 Percentage change | -80.2% |
| 2002 | -0.4971 Percentage change | -426.3% |
| 2003 | -2.01 Percentage change | +305.0% |
| 2004 | -1.39 Percentage change | -31.2% |
| 2005 | -1.67 Percentage change | +20.2% |
| 2006 | -1.53 Percentage change | -8.1% |
| 2007 | -3.45 Percentage change | +125.6% |
| 2008 | -1.4 Percentage change | -59.5% |
| 2009 | -2.76 Percentage change | +97.3% |
| 2010 | -2.45 Percentage change | -11.3% |
| 2011 | -2.48 Percentage change | +1.3% |
| 2012 | -3.54 Percentage change | +42.7% |
| 2013 | -2.32 Percentage change | -34.6% |
| 2014 | -1.58 Percentage change | -31.9% |
| 2015 | -2.19 Percentage change | +38.8% |
| 2016 | -3.26 Percentage change | +49.0% |
| 2017 | -1.31 Percentage change | -59.8% |
| 2018 | -2.42 Percentage change | +84.3% |
| 2019 | -5.18 Percentage change | +114.1% |
| 2020 | -5.58 Percentage change | +7.7% |
| 2021 | -5.21 Percentage change | -6.5% |
| 2022 | -5.86 Percentage change | +12.5% |
| 2023 | -8.75 Percentage change | +49.1% |
| 2024 | -9.36 Percentage change | +7.0% |
| 2025 | -4.93 Percentage change | -47.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | -1.63 Percentage change | -2.81 Percentage change | 1.24 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | -3.69 Percentage change | -8.47 Percentage change | -0.9601 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.4131 Percentage change | -2.43 Percentage change | 2.65 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.54 Percentage change | -1.1 Percentage change | 3.78 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1173 Percentage change | -1.58 Percentage change | 1.8 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.38 Percentage change | -3.45 Percentage change | 0.7684 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -2.67 Percentage change | -5.18 Percentage change | -1.31 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -6.61 Percentage change | -9.36 Percentage change | -4.93 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America and the Caribbean
- 35 French Guiana 1.45 Percentage change compare
- 35 Equatorial Guinea -4.05 Percentage change compare
- 36 French Southern Territories 1.44 Percentage change compare
- 37 Thailand 1.44 Percentage change compare
- 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
More environment data for Latin America and the Caribbean
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -5.99 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Temperature change 1.27 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.204 °C (2025)
- Cropland — Share in Land area 9.17 % (2024)
- Cropland — Share in Agricultural land 29.54 % (2024)
- Arable land — Area 158,363 1000 ha (2024)
- Arable land — Share in Agricultural land 25.3 % (2024)
- Inland waters — Area 35,902 1000 ha (2024)
- Permanent meadows and pastures — Area 440,935 1000 ha (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Latin America and the Caribbean?
- Historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Latin America and the Caribbean was -4.93 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 Latin America and the Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 3.78 Percentage change in 1985.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was -9.36 Percentage change in 2024.
- How does Latin America and the Caribbean rank for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- Latin America and the Caribbean ranks 38th out of 72 groups with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Latin America and the Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 125.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Latin America and the Caribbean 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