Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa
Western Africa: Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly was -6.69 Percentage change in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly in Western 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 Western Africa stood at -6.69 Percentage change.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.8% on the previous year and down 213.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa peaked at 14.48 Percentage change in 1957 and was at its lowest, -8.82 Percentage change, in 2021.
Western Africa ranks 45th of 72 groups on this measure, 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 Western Africa, year by year
| Year | Percentage change | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | -0.2811 Percentage change | — |
| 1951 | 4.1 Percentage change | -1558.5% |
| 1952 | 1.61 Percentage change | -60.7% |
| 1953 | 0.989 Percentage change | -38.6% |
| 1954 | 8.65 Percentage change | +774.4% |
| 1955 | 3.15 Percentage change | -63.5% |
| 1956 | 5.32 Percentage change | +68.6% |
| 1957 | 14.48 Percentage change | +172.2% |
| 1958 | 3.17 Percentage change | -78.1% |
| 1959 | -2.84 Percentage change | -189.6% |
| 1960 | -2.96 Percentage change | +4.1% |
| 1961 | -2.25 Percentage change | -24.1% |
| 1962 | 2.52 Percentage change | -212.2% |
| 1963 | 3.78 Percentage change | +49.9% |
| 1964 | -1.93 Percentage change | -151.2% |
| 1965 | 3.58 Percentage change | -285.1% |
| 1966 | -2 Percentage change | -155.7% |
| 1967 | 5.9 Percentage change | -395.9% |
| 1968 | 9.68 Percentage change | +64.0% |
| 1969 | 8.75 Percentage change | -9.6% |
| 1970 | 2.46 Percentage change | -71.9% |
| 1971 | 4.96 Percentage change | +101.7% |
| 1972 | 7.03 Percentage change | +41.7% |
| 1973 | 1.68 Percentage change | -76.0% |
| 1974 | 1.98 Percentage change | +17.6% |
| 1975 | 3.34 Percentage change | +68.5% |
| 1976 | 7.62 Percentage change | +128.4% |
| 1977 | -0.1994 Percentage change | -102.6% |
| 1978 | 7.49 Percentage change | -3857.5% |
| 1979 | 7.71 Percentage change | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 6.78 Percentage change | -12.0% |
| 1981 | 5.12 Percentage change | -24.5% |
| 1982 | 1.83 Percentage change | -64.3% |
| 1983 | -5.3 Percentage change | -390.2% |
| 1984 | 0.6499 Percentage change | -112.3% |
| 1985 | 2.99 Percentage change | +360.1% |
| 1986 | 2.45 Percentage change | -18.1% |
| 1987 | -1.98 Percentage change | -181.0% |
| 1988 | 5.95 Percentage change | -400.0% |
| 1989 | -0.8301 Percentage change | -114.0% |
| 1990 | 0.6627 Percentage change | -179.8% |
| 1991 | 3.03 Percentage change | +356.8% |
| 1992 | -1.71 Percentage change | -156.3% |
| 1993 | 1.24 Percentage change | -172.7% |
| 1994 | 5.71 Percentage change | +360.6% |
| 1995 | 0.6625 Percentage change | -88.4% |
| 1996 | -0.2237 Percentage change | -133.8% |
| 1997 | 1.12 Percentage change | -602.1% |
| 1998 | -3.16 Percentage change | -381.6% |
| 1999 | 5.43 Percentage change | -271.6% |
| 2000 | -0.9501 Percentage change | -117.5% |
| 2001 | -4.82 Percentage change | +407.4% |
| 2002 | -5.74 Percentage change | +19.1% |
| 2003 | -1.2 Percentage change | -79.1% |
| 2004 | -2.9 Percentage change | +142.3% |
| 2005 | 0.7339 Percentage change | -125.3% |
| 2006 | -2.8 Percentage change | -481.1% |
| 2007 | -3.54 Percentage change | +26.6% |
| 2008 | -1.33 Percentage change | -62.5% |
| 2009 | -1.37 Percentage change | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 0.2879 Percentage change | -121.0% |
| 2011 | -3.82 Percentage change | -1426.0% |
| 2012 | 0.9047 Percentage change | -123.7% |
| 2013 | -2.07 Percentage change | -328.7% |
| 2014 | -1.61 Percentage change | -22.0% |
| 2015 | -2.14 Percentage change | +32.4% |
| 2016 | -1.82 Percentage change | -14.8% |
| 2017 | -3.82 Percentage change | +109.6% |
| 2018 | 0.5163 Percentage change | -113.5% |
| 2019 | 3.07 Percentage change | +495.1% |
| 2020 | -4.14 Percentage change | -234.8% |
| 2021 | -8.82 Percentage change | +113.0% |
| 2022 | -4.79 Percentage change | -45.7% |
| 2023 | -6.47 Percentage change | +35.1% |
| 2024 | -7.68 Percentage change | +18.7% |
| 2025 | -6.69 Percentage change | -12.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.84 Percentage change | -2.84 Percentage change | 14.48 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.51 Percentage change | -2.96 Percentage change | 9.68 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.41 Percentage change | -0.1994 Percentage change | 7.71 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.76 Percentage change | -5.3 Percentage change | 6.78 Percentage change | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.28 Percentage change | -3.16 Percentage change | 5.71 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2000s | -2.39 Percentage change | -5.74 Percentage change | 0.7339 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2010s | -1.05 Percentage change | -3.82 Percentage change | 3.07 Percentage change | 10 |
| 2020s | -6.43 Percentage change | -8.82 Percentage change | -4.14 Percentage change | 6 |
Countries ranked near Western Africa
- 42 Liechtenstein 0.7508 Percentage change compare
- 43 Mexico 0.6859 Percentage change compare
- 44 Albania 0.6356 Percentage change compare
- 45 Guam 0.5909 Percentage change compare
- 46 Cambodia 0.5487 Percentage change compare
- 47 Guadeloupe 0.493 Percentage change compare
- 48 Taiwan, China 0.4698 Percentage change compare
More environment data for Western Africa
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -6.59 Percentage change (2025)
- Temperature change 1.37 °C (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.311 °C (2025)
- Wood fuel — Production 221.11 million m3 (2024)
- Roundwood, coniferous — Production 51,000 m3 (2024)
- Wood fuel, coniferous — Production 0 m3 (2024)
- Wood fuel, non-coniferous — Production 221.11 million m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Production 20.68 million m3 (2024)
- Industrial roundwood — Export quantity 355,916 m3 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa?
- Historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly in Western Africa was -6.69 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 Western Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14.48 Percentage change in 1957.
- What is the lowest historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly recorded in Western Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -8.82 Percentage change in 2021.
- How does Western Africa rank for historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly?
- Western Africa ranks 45th out of 72 groups with data for 2025.
- Is historical exposure to drought — land soil moisture anomaly rising or falling in Western Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 213.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Western 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