Table 1 Reported drought years, regions affected, causes and severities since the 1960s in Ethiopia
From: Spatial and temporal drought incidence analysis in the northeastern highlands of Ethiopia
Year | Region Affected | Causes and severity description |
|---|---|---|
1957/58 | Tigray and Wollo | Rain failure in 1957; locusts and epidemic in 1958 and about 100,000 people died |
1962/63 | Western Ethiopia | Very severe |
1964–66 | Tigray and Wollo | About 1.5 million people were affected and about 300, 000 livestock died |
1971–75 | Ethiopia | Sequence of rain failures; estimated 250,000 dead; 50% of livestock lost in Tigray and Wollo |
1978/79 | Southern Ethiopia | Failure of Belg rain & 1.4 million people were affected |
1982 | Northern Ethiopia | Late Meher rains & 2 million people were affected |
1984/85 | Ethiopia | Sequential rain failure; 8 million people affected; |
1987/88 | Ethiopia | 7 million people were affected |
1990–92 | Northern, Eastern, and SW Ethiopia | Rain failure and regional conflicts; estimated 4 million people suffering food shortage |
1993/94 | Tigray and Wollo | Widespread food insecurity (7.6 million people were affected), but few deaths or cases of displacement were reported. |
1997 | Borena, Bale, Omo, Somali | Almost 986, 000 people affected |
1999 | N. & S. Wollo, Wag, Himra; Tigray; B. Gumu, Gambela, Oromia, SNNPR, Somali | Almost 5 million people affected |
2003/4 | All Regions | Over 13 million people affected, but the response mitigated the worst potential outcomes. |
2005 | Somali, Oromia | Almost 2.6 million drought disaster affected people |
2008/9 | All regions | Almost 12.6 million People were affected. |
2011 | S & E. Oromia, Somali | Severe food insecurity and 4 million people affected |
2015/16 | N., E, & SW Ethiopia | About 10.2 million people were affected |