In 2024, drought affected almost 157,000 square kilometres of EU territory

Brussels – On the day the world celebrates International Mother Earth Day (22 April), Eurostat, the European Union’s statistical office, has released the latest data on one of the most dangerous climatic phenomena for the biodiversity of our ecosystem: drought. According to a report published today, 156,702 square kilometres of EU territory were affected by drought in 2024, a figure essentially stable compared with 2023 (155,432 square kilometres). These figures, although far below the peaks recorded in 2018 (520,818 square kilometres) and in 2022 (558,313 square kilometres), are significantly higher than those recorded just ten years ago: in 2014, “only” 49,034 square kilometres of land across Europe had been affected by drought.

 The overall increase in the frequency of this phenomenon is further demonstrated by the ten-year moving average, a statistical indicator that mitigates the “misleading” effect of individual annual fluctuations and more accurately highlights the long-term trend. According to Eurostat figures, over the course of a decade, the moving average has increased by around a third: in 2014 it stood at around 150,000 square kilometres, whilst in 2024 it reached a record figure of 200,000 square kilometres. 

The data in today’s report – based on a monitoring system for areas experiencing soil moisture deficits during the growing season – has practical implications. The more drought intensifies, the more the ecosystem’s biodiversity and plant productivity are adversely affected, and the further the EU moves away from achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the UN by 2030 to protect terrestrial ecosystems and promote the sustainable use of resources. 

In particular, according to Eurostat, “the extent of the EU territory affected by drought is a key indicator of progress made towards the 15th SDG.” This goal—known as “Life on Land”—aims to “protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and biodiversity loss.” 

Today’s survey also focuses on another indicator used by Eurostat to monitor the EU’s progress towards this target: the extent of forest areas. In 2023, forests covered 39 per cent of European land, accounting for more than half of the national territory in five Member States: Finland (66.5 per cent), Sweden (62.4 per cent), Slovenia (58.2 per cent), Estonia (54.1 per cent), and Latvia (53.4 per cent). The lowest percentages, however, were recorded in Malta (4.3 per cent), the Netherlands (9.7 per cent), and Ireland (11.8 per cent). Finally, the three largest EU countries all fell below the EU average in 2023: forest areas covered 31.1 per cent of the national territory in Italy, whilst in Germany they accounted for 32.1 per cent and in France for 32.3 per cent.