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The driest places in Asia year-round: ranked by rainfall

Tabuk tops the list at 1.5 mm averaged across the year. Ranked from 1991–2020 climate normals across 50 destinations in Asia.

Top three averaged across all twelve months: Tabuk (1.5 mm) , Dunhuang (3.0 mm) , Najrān (3.3 mm) . Between first and 50th place the rainfall differs by 8.5 mm.

# Destination Country Rainfall Avg high Avg low Rainfall Wet days Sunshine Sea temp
1 Tabuk Saudi Arabia 1.5 mm 29 °C 13 °C 2 mm 0 349 h –
2 Dunhuang China 3.0 mm 18 °C 5.0 °C 3 mm 1 325 h –
3 Najrān Saudi Arabia 3.3 mm 32 °C 17 °C 3 mm 1 340 h –
4 Madinah Saudi Arabia 3.4 mm 34 °C 19 °C 3 mm 1 347 h –
5 Yanbu Saudi Arabia 3.7 mm 32 °C 22 °C 4 mm 0 350 h 28 °C
6 Musaffah United Arab Emirates 3.8 mm 34 °C 22 °C 4 mm 1 340 h –
7 Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates 3.8 mm 33 °C 23 °C 4 mm 1 342 h 28 °C
8 Hami China 3.9 mm 17 °C 5.0 °C 4 mm 1 323 h –
9 Al Ain City United Arab Emirates 4.3 mm 35 °C 21 °C 4 mm 1 342 h –
10 Turpan China 4.4 mm 21 °C 9.1 °C 4 mm 1 323 h –
11 ‘Ibrī Oman 4.4 mm 35 °C 20 °C 4 mm 1 342 h –
12 Al Kharj Saudi Arabia 4.6 mm 34 °C 18 °C 5 mm 1 339 h –
13 Doha Qatar 5.1 mm 32 °C 22 °C 5 mm 1 342 h 27 °C
14 Lusail Qatar 5.1 mm 32 °C 22 °C 5 mm 1 342 h 27 °C
15 Ar Rayyān Qatar 5.1 mm 33 °C 21 °C 5 mm 1 342 h 27 °C
16 Al Muharraq Bahrain 5.6 mm 28 °C 24 °C 6 mm 1 340 h 26 °C
17 Riyadh Saudi Arabia 5.6 mm 32 °C 18 °C 6 mm 1 337 h –
18 Dubai United Arab Emirates 5.7 mm 34 °C 21 °C 6 mm 1 341 h 28 °C
19 Al Hufūf Saudi Arabia 5.8 mm 34 °C 19 °C 6 mm 1 340 h –
20 Korla China 6.4 mm 18 °C 6.4 °C 6 mm 1 321 h –
21 Ha'il Saudi Arabia 6.4 mm 29 °C 15 °C 6 mm 1 340 h –
22 Sharjah United Arab Emirates 6.5 mm 33 °C 22 °C 7 mm 1 341 h 28 °C
23 Gujangbagh China 6.6 mm 19 °C 6.1 °C 7 mm 1 324 h –
24 Jeddah Saudi Arabia 7.1 mm 32 °C 24 °C 7 mm 1 346 h 29 °C
25 Dammam Saudi Arabia 7.3 mm 31 °C 21 °C 7 mm 1 339 h 26 °C
26 Mukalla Yemen 7.7 mm 31 °C 24 °C 8 mm 1 335 h 28 °C
27 Buraydah Saudi Arabia 7.7 mm 32 °C 17 °C 8 mm 1 337 h –
28 Najaf Iraq 7.7 mm 31 °C 17 °C 8 mm 1 339 h –
29 Ras Al Khaimah United Arab Emirates 7.9 mm 32 °C 24 °C 8 mm 1 342 h 28 °C
30 Zahedan Iran 8.0 mm 26 °C 13 °C 8 mm 2 344 h –
31 Unaizah Saudi Arabia 8.1 mm 32 °C 17 °C 8 mm 1 338 h –
32 Isfahan Iran 8.1 mm 23 °C 8.8 °C 8 mm 2 336 h –
33 Muscat Oman 8.2 mm 32 °C 24 °C 8 mm 1 340 h 28 °C
34 Yazd Iran 8.3 mm 26 °C 13 °C 8 mm 2 337 h –
35 Daşoguz Turkmenistan 8.4 mm 20 °C 8.0 °C 8 mm 2 307 h –
36 Al Jubayl Saudi Arabia 8.4 mm 32 °C 21 °C 8 mm 1 336 h 26 °C
37 Karbala Iraq 8.8 mm 31 °C 18 °C 9 mm 2 339 h –
38 Al Diwaniyah Iraq 8.9 mm 32 °C 19 °C 9 mm 2 337 h –
39 Nukus Uzbekistan 9.2 mm 19 °C 7.2 °C 9 mm 2 303 h –
40 Şalālah Oman 9.2 mm 30 °C 22 °C 9 mm 1 327 h 26 °C
41 Hafar Al-Batin Saudi Arabia 9.2 mm 32 °C 18 °C 9 mm 1 334 h –
42 Al Hillah Iraq 9.3 mm 32 °C 19 °C 9 mm 2 338 h –
43 Karamay China 9.4 mm 15 °C 4.4 °C 9 mm 3 310 h –
44 Nasiriyah Iraq 9.5 mm 33 °C 20 °C 9 mm 1 336 h –
45 Artux China 9.7 mm 18 °C 5.8 °C 10 mm 2 324 h –
46 Ramadi Iraq 9.7 mm 30 °C 18 °C 10 mm 2 337 h –
47 Jiuquan China 9.8 mm 14 °C 2.5 °C 10 mm 2 314 h –
48 Kerman Iran 9.8 mm 24 °C 11 °C 10 mm 2 340 h –
49 Arif Wala Pakistan 10.0 mm 34 °C 20 °C 10 mm 1 335 h –
50 Shāhīn Shahr Iran 10 mm 22 °C 8.6 °C 10 mm 2 335 h –

Averaged across all twelve months, and only for destinations with a full twelve-month series and a published climate page. Download this ranking as CSV.

Month by month

The same ranking for each month of the year:

How this ranking is built

What is ranked
Total precipitation, in mm, averaged across all twelve months, lowest first.
Period
1991–2020 climate normals: the same 30 years for every destination, so the list compares like with like.
Who is included
50 destinations in Asia with a published climate page and a complete twelve-month series. Neighbouring places that share a climate series are shown once.
Ties
Equal values are ordered by fewest wet days.
Sources
ERA5 / ERA5-Land reanalysis via Open-Meteo; sea temperature from NOAA OISST v2.1. Measured values are reproduced unchanged; only the ordering is ours.

Data sources and method

Normal period
1991–2020
Dataset version
era5-1991-2020-scores1.1
Last processed

Measured values come from ERA5 reanalysis and are reproduced unchanged. Calculated by us: ranking order, beach and comfort scores. Full formulas are on the methodology page.

Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026. Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains.