Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Lesotho
Lesotho: Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was 7.08 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Lesotho, 1950–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 7.08 Percentage change for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 131.8% on the previous year and up 160.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Lesotho peaked at 17.33 Percentage change in 1974 and was at its lowest, -58.37 Percentage change, in 1951.
That places Lesotho 1st out of 72 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.
Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | -13.35 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | -58.37 Percentage change | +337.0% |
| 1952 | -52.11 Percentage change | -10.7% |
| 1953 | -52.86 Percentage change | +1.4% |
| 1954 | -30.49 Percentage change | -42.3% |
| 1955 | 0.8449 Percentage change | -102.8% |
| 1956 | -6.39 Percentage change | -855.9% |
| 1957 | 14.48 Percentage change | -326.7% |
| 1958 | -0.9781 Percentage change | -106.8% |
| 1959 | 1.16 Percentage change | -218.9% |
| 1960 | -7.16 Percentage change | -715.7% |
| 1961 | 0.893 Percentage change | -112.5% |
| 1962 | 2.31 Percentage change | +158.2% |
| 1963 | 7.45 Percentage change | +223.0% |
| 1964 | 5.25 Percentage change | -29.5% |
| 1965 | -4.98 Percentage change | -194.9% |
| 1966 | -25.02 Percentage change | +402.4% |
| 1967 | 7.78 Percentage change | -131.1% |
| 1968 | -8.75 Percentage change | -212.5% |
| 1969 | -6.99 Percentage change | -20.2% |
| 1970 | -0.6741 Percentage change | -90.4% |
| 1971 | 0.936 Percentage change | -238.9% |
| 1972 | 2.77 Percentage change | +195.7% |
| 1973 | -1.65 Percentage change | -159.6% |
| 1974 | 17.33 Percentage change | -1151.2% |
| 1975 | 3.53 Percentage change | -79.6% |
| 1976 | 16.47 Percentage change | +366.7% |
| 1977 | 12.17 Percentage change | -26.1% |
| 1978 | 2.31 Percentage change | -81.0% |
| 1979 | 3.3 Percentage change | +42.6% |
| 1980 | -12.5 Percentage change | -478.9% |
| 1981 | -4.22 Percentage change | -66.3% |
| 1982 | -2.45 Percentage change | -41.9% |
| 1983 | -10.84 Percentage change | +342.3% |
| 1984 | 0.7149 Percentage change | -106.6% |
| 1985 | -14.85 Percentage change | -2177.4% |
| 1986 | 6.71 Percentage change | -145.2% |
| 1987 | 11.08 Percentage change | +65.1% |
| 1988 | 15.78 Percentage change | +42.4% |
| 1989 | 15.5 Percentage change | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 5.95 Percentage change | -61.6% |
| 1991 | -7.83 Percentage change | -231.6% |
| 1992 | -15.58 Percentage change | +99.0% |
| 1993 | -8.59 Percentage change | -44.8% |
| 1994 | -3.22 Percentage change | -62.5% |
| 1995 | -7.36 Percentage change | +128.3% |
| 1996 | 7.47 Percentage change | -201.5% |
| 1997 | 14.21 Percentage change | +90.3% |
| 1998 | 2.49 Percentage change | -82.5% |
| 1999 | -5.74 Percentage change | -330.5% |
| 2000 | 8.89 Percentage change | -254.8% |
| 2001 | 14.76 Percentage change | +66.1% |
| 2002 | 9.58 Percentage change | -35.1% |
| 2003 | -10.35 Percentage change | -208.0% |
| 2004 | 0.7542 Percentage change | -107.3% |
| 2005 | 0.7953 Percentage change | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 11.32 Percentage change | +1323.7% |
| 2007 | -1.4 Percentage change | -112.3% |
| 2008 | -11.91 Percentage change | +752.8% |
| 2009 | -4.92 Percentage change | -58.7% |
| 2010 | -16.74 Percentage change | +240.1% |
| 2011 | 1.94 Percentage change | -111.6% |
| 2012 | -3.05 Percentage change | -257.0% |
| 2013 | -13.76 Percentage change | +351.8% |
| 2014 | -15.39 Percentage change | +11.8% |
| 2015 | -11.74 Percentage change | -23.7% |
| 2016 | -18.04 Percentage change | +53.6% |
| 2017 | -22.5 Percentage change | +24.7% |
| 2018 | -11.43 Percentage change | -49.2% |
| 2019 | -33.83 Percentage change | +196.0% |
| 2020 | -4.82 Percentage change | -85.8% |
| 2021 | 5.1 Percentage change | -205.9% |
| 2022 | 8.55 Percentage change | +67.7% |
| 2023 | 3.35 Percentage change | -60.8% |
| 2024 | -22.23 Percentage change | -762.7% |
| 2025 | 7.08 Percentage change | -131.8% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Lesotho 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | -2177.4% | 0.7149 Percentage change | -14.85 Percentage change |
| 2006 | +1323.7% | 0.7953 Percentage change | 11.32 Percentage change |
| 1974 | +1151.2% | -1.65 Percentage change | 17.33 Percentage change |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | -19.81 Percentage change | -58.37 Percentage change | 14.48 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | -2.92 Percentage change | -25.02 Percentage change | 7.78 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.65 Percentage change | -1.65 Percentage change | 17.33 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4919 Percentage change | -14.85 Percentage change | 15.78 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.82 Percentage change | -15.58 Percentage change | 14.21 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.75 Percentage change | -11.91 Percentage change | 14.76 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -14.45 Percentage change | -33.83 Percentage change | 1.94 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.4936 Percentage change | -22.23 Percentage change | 8.55 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More environment data for Lesotho
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 7.72 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -18.9 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -26.87 Percentage change (2024)
- Land use hidden — Land area 30,360 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Total area 30,360 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Cropland 3,607 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Permanent meadows and pastures 20,000 Square kilometres (2023)
- Land use hidden — Cropland, annual growth rate 30.99 % 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 -11.75 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Lesotho?
- Historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Lesotho was 7.08 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 Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 17.33 Percentage change in 1974.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was -58.37 Percentage change in 1951.
- How does Lesotho rank for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- Lesotho ranks 1st out of 72 countries with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 160.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho 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