Droughts Tracker
Prolonged rainfall deficit driving water shortage, crop failure and food insecurity. We record every drought our sources report worldwide, plot it on the map and give it its own detailed page.
About droughts
Drought is a slow-onset hazard measured over months, and its impact chain runs from soil moisture to crop yield to food prices to displacement. It rarely makes headlines on any single day, yet it affects more people worldwide than any sudden-onset disaster.
Safety guidance
- Keep a safe distance from the affected area and let emergency services work unobstructed.
- Rely on official local channels for instructions and avoid amplifying unverified reports.
- Prepare a basic emergency kit: water, medication, torch, power bank, documents and cash.
Right now: El Niño
NOAA has an El Niño Advisory in force (issued 8 October 2026). Sea temperatures in the central tropical Pacific ran 2.2 °C above normal in Jul–Sep 2026, on the Oceanic Niño Index.
El Niño years have tended to bring drought to Indonesia, Australia, southern Africa and Central America, and a weaker Indian monsoon.
A tendency across past events, not a forecast for any one place. Source: NOAA Climate Prediction Center.
Get alerts for droughts
Choose the countries you care about and get new droughts by email digest or phone push — only when one is recorded.
Twelve-month trend
Latest recorded droughts
Most affected countries
| # | Country | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 133 |
| 2 | United States | 88 |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 31 |
| 4 | Philippines | 20 |
| 5 | China | 18 |
| 6 | Panama | 17 |
| 7 | France | 14 |
| 8 | Kenya | 12 |
| 9 | Italy | 12 |
| 10 | Ghana | 10 |
| 11 | South Africa | 10 |
| 12 | Hungary | 10 |