Bruna Alves
Research lead covering environment and sustainability
Droughts - statistics & facts
Droughts and desertification are serious environmental threats that are closely related. While these changes occur naturally, they are exacerbated by human activities like deforestation, overgrazing, urbanization, and the overexploitation of groundwater resources. Human-caused climate change is also a driver of these planetary disasters, as temperatures and rain patterns are disrupted. The frequency, duration, and severity of droughts are expected to increase in many parts of the world as global temperatures rise.
This is part of a series on the effects of climate change.
This is part of a series on the effects of climate change.
What are droughts and desertification?
Droughts are defined as prolonged periods of drier-than-normal conditions resulting in water shortages. In 2022, there were 22 drought disasters recorded worldwide. Droughts can persist for months or even years, and when areas remain arid for too long, desertification can occur. Desertification is an extreme form of land degradation in drylands that causes grasslands or shrublands to disappear, turning fertile ecosystems into deserts over time. Billions of people live in drylands that are vulnerable to desertification.The most affected regions
The countries most exposed to drought risk are typically located in developing regions, with severe drought and desertification affecting Africa more than any other continent. Somalia, Namibia, and Zimbabwe are among the countries with the highest risk of drought. Although developing countries are particularly vulnerable to drought, countries in developed regions like Europe and North America are not immune to such weather-related catastrophes. As of 2022, the U.S. West has been in a megadrought for more than two decades, making it the driest period in at least 1,200 years. The severe drought resulted in record-low water levels in some of the largest and most crucial reservoirs, such as Lake Mead.The effects of droughts
Droughts and desertification have a considerable impact on both people and the planet. Issues include a loss of soil productivity, crop yield volatility, poverty, famine, disease, social conflicts, and mass migration. In 2022, the economic damage caused by drought disasters worldwide was estimated at 54 billion U.S. dollars. More than 100 million people were impacted by droughts that same year. As global temperatures rise, the frequency of agricultural and ecological droughts is expected to increase over the coming decades. For global warming of two degrees Celsius, projections suggest at least two drought events will occur every 10 years, with the frequency jumping to four events under four degrees Celsius of warming.
