Standardised Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index in India
India: Standardised Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index was 0.4919 in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Standardised Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index in India, 1960–2023
Source: Global SPEI database (SPEIbase). https://spei.csic.es/database.html.
Analysis
In 2023, standardised precipitation-evapotranspiration index in India stood at 0.4919.
That represents a change of down 67.0% on the previous year and down 62.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, standardised precipitation-evapotranspiration index in India peaked at 1.79 in 1961 and was at its lowest, -2.37, in 1972.
That places India 32nd out of 189 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Standardised Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | -0.7878 | — |
| 1961 | 1.79 | -327.3% |
| 1962 | 0.5828 | -67.5% |
| 1963 | 0.4341 | -25.5% |
| 1964 | 0.6943 | +59.9% |
| 1965 | -1.69 | -343.5% |
| 1966 | -1.18 | -30.4% |
| 1967 | -0.1981 | -83.2% |
| 1968 | -1.08 | +446.4% |
| 1969 | -0.672 | -37.9% |
| 1970 | 1.39 | -307.2% |
| 1971 | 0.5789 | -58.4% |
| 1972 | -2.37 | -509.5% |
| 1973 | 0.854 | -136.0% |
| 1974 | -1.28 | -249.6% |
| 1975 | 1.31 | -202.7% |
| 1976 | -0.1339 | -110.2% |
| 1977 | 1.1 | -922.9% |
| 1978 | 1.13 | +2.9% |
| 1979 | -1.07 | -194.0% |
| 1980 | -0.5929 | -44.4% |
| 1981 | 0.3897 | -165.7% |
| 1982 | -1.19 | -404.3% |
| 1983 | 1.41 | -219.1% |
| 1984 | -0.686 | -148.6% |
| 1985 | -0.5669 | -17.4% |
| 1986 | -1.05 | +84.7% |
| 1987 | -1.66 | +58.9% |
| 1988 | 1.14 | -168.3% |
| 1989 | -1.07 | -194.5% |
| 1990 | 1.33 | -223.6% |
| 1991 | -0.9534 | -171.8% |
| 1992 | -1.52 | +59.5% |
| 1993 | -0.5829 | -61.7% |
| 1994 | 0.1434 | -124.6% |
| 1995 | 0.1509 | +5.2% |
| 1996 | -0.209 | -238.5% |
| 1997 | 0.1393 | -166.7% |
| 1998 | 0.5329 | +282.6% |
| 1999 | -0.562 | -205.5% |
| 2000 | -0.7818 | +39.1% |
| 2001 | -0.8623 | +10.3% |
| 2002 | -1.95 | +125.8% |
| 2003 | -0.6572 | -66.3% |
| 2004 | -1.09 | +65.1% |
| 2005 | -0.2984 | -72.5% |
| 2006 | 0.4296 | -244.0% |
| 2007 | -0.2041 | -147.5% |
| 2008 | 0.5478 | -368.4% |
| 2009 | -1.65 | -402.0% |
| 2010 | 0.9706 | -158.7% |
| 2011 | 0.1853 | -80.9% |
| 2012 | -0.5772 | -411.5% |
| 2013 | 1.3 | -324.6% |
| 2014 | -0.7219 | -155.7% |
| 2015 | -0.1104 | -84.7% |
| 2016 | -0.1751 | +58.6% |
| 2017 | 0.1577 | -190.1% |
| 2018 | -1.01 | -741.3% |
| 2019 | 1.64 | -262.2% |
| 2020 | 1.03 | -37.1% |
| 2021 | 0.8849 | -14.2% |
| 2022 | 1.49 | +68.3% |
| 2023 | 0.4919 | -67.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 0.4919 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is -0.0753. (46 countries reporting)
- India's 0.4919 is above the median for South Asia, which is -0.1217. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -0.2106 | -1.69 | 1.79 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1524 | -2.37 | 1.39 | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.3878 | -1.66 | 1.41 | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.1534 | -1.52 | 1.33 | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.6513 | -1.95 | 0.5478 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1655 | -1.01 | 1.64 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9743 | 0.4919 | 1.49 | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More environment data for India
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 11.05 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 12.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.254 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.954 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 17.18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 3.92 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 1.12 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is standardised precipitation-evapotranspiration index in India?
- Standardised precipitation-evapotranspiration index in India was 0.4919 in 2023, according to Global SPEI database (SPEIbase). https://spei.csic.es/database.html.
- What is the highest standardised precipitation-evapotranspiration index recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 1.79 in 1961.
- What is the lowest standardised precipitation-evapotranspiration index recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.37 in 1972.
- How does India rank for standardised precipitation-evapotranspiration index?
- India ranks 32nd out of 189 countries with data for 2023.
- Is standardised precipitation-evapotranspiration index rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 62.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from Global SPEI database (SPEIbase). https://spei.csic.es/database.html, published as part of Standardised Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The SPEI fulfills the requirements of a drought index since its multi-scalar character enables it to be used by different scientific disciplines to detect, monitor, and analyze droughts. Like the sc-PDSI and the SPI, the SPEI can measure drought severity according to its intensity and duration, and can identify the onset and end of drought episodes. The SPEI allows comparison of drought severity through time and space, since it can be calculated over a wide range of climates, as can the SPI.