The bar chart compares the proportion of land impacted by desertification in four major regions, including North America, Europe, Africa and Australia, in the years 1990 and 2010.
Overall, Sub- Saharan Africa had by far the highest proportion of land affected by desertification in both years. While the figures for North America, Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa increased, Australia experienced a slight decline over the period.
In North America, during 1990, desertification was responsible for approximately 12% of land degradation. This increased to 15% in 2010. A similar trend can be seen in Europe, where desertification accounts for an estimated 9% of land degradation and increased to 11%. Furthermore, Sub- Saharan Africa has seen the largest increase of 7 percentage points, from 25% to 32% in 2010, compared to Europe’s increase of only 2 percentage points. So far, all regions have seen an upward trend. In contrast, Australia experienced a slight decline. In 1990, approximately 12% of land was degraded due to desertification, which fell to an estimated 11% during 2010.