Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Northern Territory
Northern Territory: Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was 4.86 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Northern Territory, 1950–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
Northern Territory recorded 4.86 Percentage change for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in 2025.
The figure is down 80.2% on the previous year and up 165.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Northern Territory peaked at 36.57 Percentage change in 1974 and was at its lowest, -28.45 Percentage change, in 1952.
Northern Territory ranks 188th of 3112 regions on this measure, 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 Northern Territory, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | -11.14 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | -16.29 Percentage change | +46.2% |
| 1952 | -28.45 Percentage change | +74.6% |
| 1953 | -10.07 Percentage change | -64.6% |
| 1954 | 1.7 Percentage change | -116.8% |
| 1955 | 2.39 Percentage change | +41.0% |
| 1956 | 6.51 Percentage change | +172.6% |
| 1957 | -13.24 Percentage change | -303.3% |
| 1958 | 3.57 Percentage change | -127.0% |
| 1959 | -2.07 Percentage change | -157.8% |
| 1960 | -6.52 Percentage change | +215.8% |
| 1961 | -11.69 Percentage change | +79.2% |
| 1962 | 1.31 Percentage change | -111.2% |
| 1963 | -5.19 Percentage change | -496.5% |
| 1964 | 0.9908 Percentage change | -119.1% |
| 1965 | -15.86 Percentage change | -1700.8% |
| 1966 | -7.43 Percentage change | -53.2% |
| 1967 | -13.45 Percentage change | +81.1% |
| 1968 | 19.02 Percentage change | -241.4% |
| 1969 | -18.44 Percentage change | -196.9% |
| 1970 | -23.75 Percentage change | +28.8% |
| 1971 | -6.97 Percentage change | -70.7% |
| 1972 | -8.31 Percentage change | +19.2% |
| 1973 | -2.37 Percentage change | -71.5% |
| 1974 | 36.57 Percentage change | -1644.5% |
| 1975 | 19.97 Percentage change | -45.4% |
| 1976 | -7.27 Percentage change | -136.4% |
| 1977 | 14.49 Percentage change | -299.3% |
| 1978 | 13.97 Percentage change | -3.6% |
| 1979 | -2.24 Percentage change | -116.1% |
| 1980 | 8.38 Percentage change | -473.7% |
| 1981 | 7.13 Percentage change | -14.9% |
| 1982 | -3.54 Percentage change | -149.6% |
| 1983 | 15.72 Percentage change | -544.6% |
| 1984 | 1.54 Percentage change | -90.2% |
| 1985 | -2.98 Percentage change | -294.4% |
| 1986 | 3.02 Percentage change | -201.3% |
| 1987 | 0.1076 Percentage change | -96.4% |
| 1988 | 2.84 Percentage change | +2537.3% |
| 1989 | -1.64 Percentage change | -157.8% |
| 1990 | -12.43 Percentage change | +658.8% |
| 1991 | -8.14 Percentage change | -34.5% |
| 1992 | -3.9 Percentage change | -52.1% |
| 1993 | 3.9 Percentage change | -200.0% |
| 1994 | -8.37 Percentage change | -314.7% |
| 1995 | -11.69 Percentage change | +39.6% |
| 1996 | -6.44 Percentage change | -44.9% |
| 1997 | 2.71 Percentage change | -142.1% |
| 1998 | 0.5532 Percentage change | -79.6% |
| 1999 | 6.05 Percentage change | +992.9% |
| 2000 | 8.2 Percentage change | +35.6% |
| 2001 | 14.5 Percentage change | +77.0% |
| 2002 | -10.59 Percentage change | -173.0% |
| 2003 | -5.55 Percentage change | -47.6% |
| 2004 | 14.63 Percentage change | -363.5% |
| 2005 | -17.34 Percentage change | -218.5% |
| 2006 | 7.36 Percentage change | -142.4% |
| 2007 | -4.44 Percentage change | -160.3% |
| 2008 | -15.09 Percentage change | +239.8% |
| 2009 | -0.6186 Percentage change | -95.9% |
| 2010 | 24.51 Percentage change | -4061.3% |
| 2011 | 10.86 Percentage change | -55.7% |
| 2012 | 1.83 Percentage change | -83.1% |
| 2013 | -7.17 Percentage change | -491.1% |
| 2014 | -1.24 Percentage change | -82.7% |
| 2015 | -7.42 Percentage change | +498.1% |
| 2016 | 4.75 Percentage change | -164.0% |
| 2017 | 2.99 Percentage change | -37.0% |
| 2018 | -16.09 Percentage change | -638.0% |
| 2019 | -27.94 Percentage change | +73.6% |
| 2020 | -10.48 Percentage change | -62.5% |
| 2021 | -3.77 Percentage change | -64.1% |
| 2022 | 12.91 Percentage change | -442.6% |
| 2023 | 29.32 Percentage change | +127.2% |
| 2024 | 24.55 Percentage change | -16.3% |
| 2025 | 4.86 Percentage change | -80.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | -6.71 Percentage change | -28.45 Percentage change | 6.51 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | -5.73 Percentage change | -18.44 Percentage change | 19.02 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.41 Percentage change | -23.75 Percentage change | 36.57 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.06 Percentage change | -3.54 Percentage change | 15.72 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | -3.78 Percentage change | -12.43 Percentage change | 6.05 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.8935 Percentage change | -17.34 Percentage change | 14.63 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.49 Percentage change | -27.94 Percentage change | 24.51 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.57 Percentage change | -10.48 Percentage change | 29.32 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near Northern Territory
- 185 Saudi Arabia -52.52 Percentage change compare
- 186 Djibouti -57.06 Percentage change compare
- 187 Kuwait -57.51 Percentage change compare
- 188 Qatar -61.67 Percentage change compare
- 189 Western Sahara -62.29 Percentage change compare
- 190 Oman -62.46 Percentage change compare
- 191 United Arab Emirates -80.98 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Northern Territory
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 7.45 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -9.66 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 12.79 Percentage change (2024)
- River flooding exposure — Cropland share exposed to river flooding 5.44 Percentage of agricultural land area (2022)
- Land cover and land cover change — Grassland 108,519 Square kilometres (2022)
- Land cover and land cover change — Loss of cropland 55.14 Square kilometres (2022)
- Land cover and land cover change — Gain of artificial surfaces 51.73 Square kilometres (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Northern Territory?
- Historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Northern Territory was 4.86 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 Northern Territory?
- The highest recorded value was 36.57 Percentage change in 1974.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Northern Territory?
- The lowest recorded value was -28.45 Percentage change in 1952.
- How does Northern Territory rank for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- Northern Territory ranks 188th out of 3112 regions with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Northern Territory?
- Over the last ten years it is up 165.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Northern Territory 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