Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Middle East and North Africa
Middle East and North Africa: Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was -31.05 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Middle East and North Africa, 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 Middle East and North Africa stood at -31.05 Percentage change. That is the lowest value across all 76 years on record.
The figure is down 213.5% on the previous year and down 2,430.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Middle East and North Africa peaked at 44.37 Percentage change in 1972 and was at its lowest, -31.05 Percentage change, in 2025.
That places Middle East and North Africa 72nd out of 72 groups 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 Middle East and North Africa, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 19.62 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | -8 Percentage change | -140.8% |
| 1952 | 5.35 Percentage change | -166.8% |
| 1953 | 16.98 Percentage change | +217.6% |
| 1954 | 6.58 Percentage change | -61.2% |
| 1955 | -0.7157 Percentage change | -110.9% |
| 1956 | -6.75 Percentage change | +843.8% |
| 1957 | 18.97 Percentage change | -380.9% |
| 1958 | -0.413 Percentage change | -102.2% |
| 1959 | 8.87 Percentage change | -2247.6% |
| 1960 | -13.96 Percentage change | -257.4% |
| 1961 | -2.8 Percentage change | -79.9% |
| 1962 | -10.36 Percentage change | +269.5% |
| 1963 | 8.61 Percentage change | -183.1% |
| 1964 | -4.79 Percentage change | -155.6% |
| 1965 | 14.08 Percentage change | -394.0% |
| 1966 | -14.11 Percentage change | -200.3% |
| 1967 | 3.9 Percentage change | -127.7% |
| 1968 | 1.83 Percentage change | -53.2% |
| 1969 | 19.45 Percentage change | +964.4% |
| 1970 | -11.52 Percentage change | -159.2% |
| 1971 | 6.47 Percentage change | -156.2% |
| 1972 | 44.37 Percentage change | +585.5% |
| 1973 | -6.16 Percentage change | -113.9% |
| 1974 | 19.64 Percentage change | -418.6% |
| 1975 | 4.85 Percentage change | -75.3% |
| 1976 | 26.07 Percentage change | +437.7% |
| 1977 | 4.36 Percentage change | -83.3% |
| 1978 | -6.94 Percentage change | -259.3% |
| 1979 | -3.57 Percentage change | -48.5% |
| 1980 | 7.97 Percentage change | -323.1% |
| 1981 | -3.69 Percentage change | -146.3% |
| 1982 | 17.44 Percentage change | -572.6% |
| 1983 | -4.9 Percentage change | -128.1% |
| 1984 | -8.91 Percentage change | +81.7% |
| 1985 | 2.19 Percentage change | -124.5% |
| 1986 | 15.82 Percentage change | +623.4% |
| 1987 | -5.16 Percentage change | -132.6% |
| 1988 | 9.14 Percentage change | -277.1% |
| 1989 | -0.572 Percentage change | -106.3% |
| 1990 | -0.5616 Percentage change | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 5.38 Percentage change | -1058.3% |
| 1992 | 1.66 Percentage change | -69.2% |
| 1993 | 14.26 Percentage change | +760.6% |
| 1994 | 9.45 Percentage change | -33.8% |
| 1995 | -8.37 Percentage change | -188.6% |
| 1996 | 9.74 Percentage change | -216.4% |
| 1997 | 17.18 Percentage change | +76.3% |
| 1998 | -0.6964 Percentage change | -104.1% |
| 1999 | -12.68 Percentage change | +1720.9% |
| 2000 | -15.57 Percentage change | +22.8% |
| 2001 | -19.91 Percentage change | +27.8% |
| 2002 | -8.3 Percentage change | -58.3% |
| 2003 | 1.39 Percentage change | -116.8% |
| 2004 | -0.4111 Percentage change | -129.6% |
| 2005 | 0.2185 Percentage change | -153.1% |
| 2006 | 5.62 Percentage change | +2473.8% |
| 2007 | -9.49 Percentage change | -268.7% |
| 2008 | 1.57 Percentage change | -116.5% |
| 2009 | -0.0223 Percentage change | -101.4% |
| 2010 | -11.81 Percentage change | +52737.0% |
| 2011 | 8.73 Percentage change | -174.0% |
| 2012 | -2.25 Percentage change | -125.7% |
| 2013 | 0.7427 Percentage change | -133.0% |
| 2014 | 7.08 Percentage change | +852.6% |
| 2015 | 1.33 Percentage change | -81.2% |
| 2016 | 0.9457 Percentage change | -29.0% |
| 2017 | -10.83 Percentage change | -1245.4% |
| 2018 | 17.21 Percentage change | -258.9% |
| 2019 | 8.93 Percentage change | -48.1% |
| 2020 | -4.25 Percentage change | -147.6% |
| 2021 | -24.17 Percentage change | +469.3% |
| 2022 | -15.53 Percentage change | -35.8% |
| 2023 | -11.88 Percentage change | -23.5% |
| 2024 | -9.91 Percentage change | -16.6% |
| 2025 | -31.05 Percentage change | +213.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.05 Percentage change | -8 Percentage change | 19.62 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1839 Percentage change | -14.11 Percentage change | 19.45 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.76 Percentage change | -11.52 Percentage change | 44.37 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.93 Percentage change | -8.91 Percentage change | 17.44 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.54 Percentage change | -12.68 Percentage change | 17.18 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -4.49 Percentage change | -19.91 Percentage change | 5.62 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.01 Percentage change | -11.81 Percentage change | 17.21 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -16.13 Percentage change | -31.05 Percentage change | -4.25 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East and North Africa
- 69 Bulgaria -1.39 Percentage change compare
- 70 Trinidad and Tobago -1.54 Percentage change compare
- 71 Malaysia -1.65 Percentage change compare
- 72 Spain -1.67 Percentage change compare
- 73 Singapore -1.71 Percentage change compare
- 74 Russian Federation -1.76 Percentage change compare
- 75 Lao People's Democratic Republic -1.77 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Middle East and North Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -16.75 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -10.75 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -15.82 Percentage change (2024)
- River flooding exposure — Cropland share exposed to river flooding 8.83 Percentage of agricultural land area (2022)
- Land cover and land cover change — Grassland 5,293 Square kilometres (2022)
- Land cover and land cover change — Loss of cropland 15,015 Square kilometres (2022)
- Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces 15,827 Square kilometres (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Middle East and North Africa?
- Historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Middle East and North Africa was -31.05 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 Middle East and North Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 44.37 Percentage change in 1972.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Middle East and North Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -31.05 Percentage change in 2025.
- How does Middle East and North Africa rank for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- Middle East and North Africa ranks 72nd out of 72 groups with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Middle East and North Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2,430.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Middle East and North Africa 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