Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Southern Africa
Southern Africa: Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was 4.17 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Southern Africa, 1950–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage change.
Analysis
Southern Africa recorded 4.17 Percentage change for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in 2025.
The figure is up 123.4% on the previous year and up 201.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Southern Africa peaked at 25.03 Percentage change in 1974 and was at its lowest, -38.46 Percentage change, in 1951.
That places Southern Africa 3rd out of 72 groups 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 Southern Africa, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 9.42 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | -38.46 Percentage change | -508.4% |
| 1952 | -33.38 Percentage change | -13.2% |
| 1953 | -26.77 Percentage change | -19.8% |
| 1954 | -26.4 Percentage change | -1.4% |
| 1955 | 14.14 Percentage change | -153.6% |
| 1956 | -14.66 Percentage change | -203.7% |
| 1957 | 8.29 Percentage change | -156.6% |
| 1958 | 2.13 Percentage change | -74.3% |
| 1959 | -10.2 Percentage change | -578.9% |
| 1960 | -12.28 Percentage change | +20.4% |
| 1961 | 3.07 Percentage change | -125.0% |
| 1962 | -3.79 Percentage change | -223.7% |
| 1963 | 5.33 Percentage change | -240.5% |
| 1964 | -14.84 Percentage change | -378.5% |
| 1965 | -14.51 Percentage change | -2.2% |
| 1966 | -13.49 Percentage change | -7.0% |
| 1967 | 2.2 Percentage change | -116.3% |
| 1968 | -9.37 Percentage change | -525.0% |
| 1969 | 1.21 Percentage change | -113.0% |
| 1970 | -7.17 Percentage change | -690.7% |
| 1971 | -0.5239 Percentage change | -92.7% |
| 1972 | -3.14 Percentage change | +498.7% |
| 1973 | -0.8837 Percentage change | -71.8% |
| 1974 | 25.03 Percentage change | -2932.0% |
| 1975 | 0.3874 Percentage change | -98.5% |
| 1976 | 21.8 Percentage change | +5526.1% |
| 1977 | 15.1 Percentage change | -30.7% |
| 1978 | 6.09 Percentage change | -59.7% |
| 1979 | -1.9 Percentage change | -131.3% |
| 1980 | -8.08 Percentage change | +324.3% |
| 1981 | 2.89 Percentage change | -135.8% |
| 1982 | -6.74 Percentage change | -333.0% |
| 1983 | -15 Percentage change | +122.4% |
| 1984 | 2.18 Percentage change | -114.6% |
| 1985 | -1.33 Percentage change | -161.1% |
| 1986 | 5.18 Percentage change | -488.0% |
| 1987 | -3.18 Percentage change | -161.4% |
| 1988 | 2.19 Percentage change | -168.8% |
| 1989 | 10.07 Percentage change | +360.4% |
| 1990 | -0.8163 Percentage change | -108.1% |
| 1991 | -4.83 Percentage change | +491.3% |
| 1992 | -13.99 Percentage change | +189.8% |
| 1993 | -5.6 Percentage change | -59.9% |
| 1994 | -3.59 Percentage change | -36.0% |
| 1995 | 0.8981 Percentage change | -125.0% |
| 1996 | 0.1052 Percentage change | -88.3% |
| 1997 | 11.81 Percentage change | +11126.1% |
| 1998 | 0.9643 Percentage change | -91.8% |
| 1999 | -2.18 Percentage change | -325.6% |
| 2000 | 18.84 Percentage change | -965.9% |
| 2001 | 20.87 Percentage change | +10.8% |
| 2002 | -2.12 Percentage change | -110.2% |
| 2003 | -14.53 Percentage change | +584.7% |
| 2004 | -7.49 Percentage change | -48.4% |
| 2005 | -4.32 Percentage change | -42.4% |
| 2006 | 15.32 Percentage change | -454.7% |
| 2007 | -1.3 Percentage change | -108.5% |
| 2008 | -7.91 Percentage change | +507.8% |
| 2009 | 2.61 Percentage change | -133.0% |
| 2010 | 0.9918 Percentage change | -61.9% |
| 2011 | 15.83 Percentage change | +1496.6% |
| 2012 | 0.7925 Percentage change | -95.0% |
| 2013 | -7.48 Percentage change | -1043.8% |
| 2014 | 1.53 Percentage change | -120.5% |
| 2015 | -4.11 Percentage change | -368.6% |
| 2016 | -18 Percentage change | +337.6% |
| 2017 | -7.66 Percentage change | -57.5% |
| 2018 | -8.98 Percentage change | +17.3% |
| 2019 | -20.91 Percentage change | +132.9% |
| 2020 | -2.99 Percentage change | -85.7% |
| 2021 | 6.62 Percentage change | -321.3% |
| 2022 | 3.12 Percentage change | -52.8% |
| 2023 | -3.66 Percentage change | -217.3% |
| 2024 | -17.82 Percentage change | +386.4% |
| 2025 | 4.17 Percentage change | -123.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | -11.59 Percentage change | -38.46 Percentage change | 14.14 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | -5.65 Percentage change | -14.84 Percentage change | 5.33 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.48 Percentage change | -7.17 Percentage change | 25.03 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | -1.18 Percentage change | -15 Percentage change | 10.07 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.72 Percentage change | -13.99 Percentage change | 11.81 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | 2 Percentage change | -14.53 Percentage change | 20.87 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -4.8 Percentage change | -20.91 Percentage change | 15.83 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -1.76 Percentage change | -17.82 Percentage change | 6.62 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near Southern Africa
- 1 Palau 14.18 Percentage change compare
- 2 Turks and Caicos Islands 11.79 Percentage change compare
- 3 India 11.05 Percentage change compare
- 4 Mauritius 9.92 Percentage change compare
- 5 Northern Mariana Islands 8.23 Percentage change compare
- 6 New Caledonia 7.82 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Southern Africa
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 7.61 Percentage change (2025)
- Temperature change 0.892 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.282 °C (2025)
- Industrial roundwood — Export quantity 427,327 m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood, non-coniferous — Production 9.63 million m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Import value 35,013 1000 USD (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Import quantity 161,260 m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Production 17.26 million m3 (2024)
- Wood fuel — Production 18.57 million m3 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Southern Africa?
- Historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Southern Africa was 4.17 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 Southern Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 25.03 Percentage change in 1974.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Southern Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -38.46 Percentage change in 1951.
- How does Southern Africa rank for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- Southern Africa ranks 3rd out of 72 groups with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Southern Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 201.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Southern 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