Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was -3.13 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at -3.13 Percentage change.
The figure is down 426.6% on the previous year and down 227.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 5.36 Percentage change in 2008 and was at its lowest, -11.13 Percentage change, in 1955.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 99th out of 191 countries 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.3204 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | -0.2055 Percentage change | -164.1% |
| 1952 | -2.87 Percentage change | +1296.6% |
| 1953 | 2.59 Percentage change | -190.3% |
| 1954 | 1.45 Percentage change | -44.0% |
| 1955 | -11.13 Percentage change | -867.0% |
| 1956 | -2.8 Percentage change | -74.8% |
| 1957 | -5.08 Percentage change | +81.3% |
| 1958 | 2.41 Percentage change | -147.4% |
| 1959 | -7.61 Percentage change | -415.7% |
| 1960 | -1.63 Percentage change | -78.6% |
| 1961 | -5.69 Percentage change | +249.0% |
| 1962 | -4.23 Percentage change | -25.6% |
| 1963 | -0.5228 Percentage change | -87.7% |
| 1964 | -5.45 Percentage change | +943.4% |
| 1965 | 0.0441 Percentage change | -100.8% |
| 1966 | 1.05 Percentage change | +2275.8% |
| 1967 | 1.33 Percentage change | +27.2% |
| 1968 | 1.93 Percentage change | +45.0% |
| 1969 | -1.43 Percentage change | -174.2% |
| 1970 | 0.4966 Percentage change | -134.7% |
| 1971 | 2.49 Percentage change | +401.9% |
| 1972 | 0.3531 Percentage change | -85.8% |
| 1973 | -0.1987 Percentage change | -156.3% |
| 1974 | -1.45 Percentage change | +628.3% |
| 1975 | -5.09 Percentage change | +251.9% |
| 1976 | -5.96 Percentage change | +16.9% |
| 1977 | -1.1 Percentage change | -81.5% |
| 1978 | -0.558 Percentage change | -49.5% |
| 1979 | 2.55 Percentage change | -556.6% |
| 1980 | 3.38 Percentage change | +32.5% |
| 1981 | 1.26 Percentage change | -62.8% |
| 1982 | -1.1 Percentage change | -187.8% |
| 1983 | -0.9565 Percentage change | -13.3% |
| 1984 | -5 Percentage change | +422.3% |
| 1985 | 3.31 Percentage change | -166.2% |
| 1986 | 1.46 Percentage change | -55.9% |
| 1987 | 1.74 Percentage change | +19.4% |
| 1988 | 2.73 Percentage change | +56.7% |
| 1989 | -3.81 Percentage change | -239.6% |
| 1990 | -4.86 Percentage change | +27.5% |
| 1991 | -2.46 Percentage change | -49.2% |
| 1992 | 2.4 Percentage change | -197.2% |
| 1993 | -1.19 Percentage change | -149.6% |
| 1994 | -0.2641 Percentage change | -77.8% |
| 1995 | -7.33 Percentage change | +2676.9% |
| 1996 | -1.21 Percentage change | -83.4% |
| 1997 | -2.19 Percentage change | +79.9% |
| 1998 | 2.74 Percentage change | -225.3% |
| 1999 | 0.2057 Percentage change | -92.5% |
| 2000 | 4.48 Percentage change | +2077.3% |
| 2001 | 1.28 Percentage change | -71.4% |
| 2002 | 1.59 Percentage change | +24.1% |
| 2003 | -1.34 Percentage change | -184.3% |
| 2004 | 1.04 Percentage change | -177.2% |
| 2005 | 2.02 Percentage change | +94.6% |
| 2006 | 1.58 Percentage change | -21.4% |
| 2007 | 1.89 Percentage change | +19.0% |
| 2008 | 5.36 Percentage change | +184.1% |
| 2009 | -1.81 Percentage change | -133.8% |
| 2010 | -1.53 Percentage change | -15.3% |
| 2011 | -3.81 Percentage change | +147.9% |
| 2012 | 3.58 Percentage change | -194.2% |
| 2013 | -0.644 Percentage change | -118.0% |
| 2014 | 1.08 Percentage change | -267.3% |
| 2015 | 2.45 Percentage change | +127.2% |
| 2016 | 1.4 Percentage change | -42.8% |
| 2017 | 3.52 Percentage change | +151.4% |
| 2018 | -3.85 Percentage change | -209.3% |
| 2019 | 0.6153 Percentage change | -116.0% |
| 2020 | -1.26 Percentage change | -304.1% |
| 2021 | -0.2492 Percentage change | -80.2% |
| 2022 | -0.1324 Percentage change | -46.9% |
| 2023 | 1.81 Percentage change | -1469.3% |
| 2024 | 0.9574 Percentage change | -47.2% |
| 2025 | -3.13 Percentage change | -426.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | -2.29 Percentage change | -11.13 Percentage change | 2.59 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | -1.46 Percentage change | -5.69 Percentage change | 1.93 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.8467 Percentage change | -5.96 Percentage change | 2.55 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.3004 Percentage change | -5 Percentage change | 3.38 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.42 Percentage change | -7.33 Percentage change | 2.74 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.61 Percentage change | -1.81 Percentage change | 5.36 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2811 Percentage change | -3.85 Percentage change | 3.58 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.3324 Percentage change | -3.13 Percentage change | 1.81 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 96 Antigua and Barbuda -3.03 Percentage change compare
- 97 Jersey -3.05 Percentage change compare
- 98 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of -3.12 Percentage change compare
- 100 El Salvador -3.31 Percentage change compare
- 101 Uruguay -3.58 Percentage change compare
- 102 Mozambique -3.62 Percentage change compare
More environment data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -7.25 Percentage change (2025)
- Exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.35 Percentage change (2024)
- Exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 1.22 Percentage change (2024)
- Heating Degree Days 5,420 (2024)
- Cooling Degree Days 28.37 (2024)
- Total fisheries production 981,329 metric tons (2024)
- Capture fisheries production 755,323 metric tons (2024)
- Aquaculture production 226,006 metric tons (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Waste 2.03 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Transport (Energy) 1.12 Mt CO2e (2024)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was -3.13 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 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 5.36 Percentage change in 2008.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was -11.13 Percentage change in 1955.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 99th out of 191 countries with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 227.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 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