In 2024, there were roughly 18,100 reported fatalities caused by natural disaster events worldwide. This was well below the 21st-century average and significantly lower than the fatalities recorded in 2023, which were driven by the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on February and became the deadliest catastrophes in 2023, with nearly 60,000 reported deaths. Economic losses due to natural disasters The economic losses due to natural disaster events worldwide amounted to about 368 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Although figures in recent years have remained mostly stable, 2011 remains the costliest year to date. Among the different types of natural disaster events, tropical cyclones caused the largest economic losses across the globe in 2024. What does a natural disaster cost? Hurricane Katrina has been one of the costliest disasters in the world, costing the insurance industry some 102 billion U.S. dollars. The resilience of societies against catastrophes have been boosted by insurance industry payouts. Nevertheless, insurance payouts are primarily garnered by industrialized countries. In emerging and developing regions, disaster insurance coverage is still limited, despite the need for improved risk management and resilience as a method to mitigate the impact of disasters and to promote sustainable growth.

In 2023, there was a total of *** natural disasters events recorded worldwide, down from *** recorded a year earlier. The Europe, Middle East and Africa region experienced the highest number of natural disasters that year. Deaths and costs of natural disasters Natural disasters affect almost every part of the world. In February 2023, Turkey and Syria were hit by earthquakes that resulted in the highest number of deaths due to natural disaster events that year. In terms of economic damage, Hurricane Katrina remains one of the most expensive natural disasters in the world, topped only by the earthquake/tsunami which hit Japan in 2011. Climate change and natural disasters Climate change has influenced the prevalence of natural disasters. Global warming can increase the risk of extreme weather, resulting in higher risk of droughts and stronger storms, such as tropical cyclones. For instance, higher levels of water vapor in the atmosphere give storms the power to emerge. Furthermore, the heat in the atmosphere and high ocean surface temperatures lead to increased wind speeds, which characterize tropical storms. Areas that are usually unaffected by the sea are becoming more vulnerable due to rising sea levels as waves and currents become stronger.

In 2024, the United States experienced 29 natural disasters, which made it the most natural catastrophe-prone country in the world that year. Indonesia and China came second on that list, with 20 and 18 natural disasters occurring in the same year, respectively. Storms were the most common type of natural disaster in 2024. Types of natural disasters There are many different types of natural disasters that occur worldwide, including earthquakes, droughts, storms, floods, volcanic activity, extreme temperatures, landslides, and wildfires. Overall, there were 398 natural disasters registered all over the world in 2023. Costs of natural disasters Due to their destructive nature, natural disasters take a severe toll on populations and countries. Tropical cyclones have the biggest economic impact in the countries that they occur. In 2024, tropical cyclones caused damage estimated at more than 145 billion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, the number of deaths due to natural disasters neared 18,100 that year. The Heat Wave in Saudi Arabia had the highest death toll, with 1,301 fatalities. Scientists predict that some natural disasters such as storms, floods, landslides, and wildfires will be more frequent and more intense in the future, creating both human and financial losses.

In 2024, a total of 1,374 earthquakes with magnitude of five or more were recorded worldwide as of December that year. The Ring of Fire Large earthquakes generally result in higher death tolls in developing countries or countries where building codes are less stringent. China has suffered from a number of strong earthquakes that have resulted in extremely high death tolls. While earthquakes occur around the globe along the various tectonic plate boundaries, a significant proportion occur around the basin of the Pacific Ocean, in what is referred to as the Ring of Fire due to the high degree of tectonic activity. Many of the countries in the Ring of Fire, including Japan, Chile, the United States and New Zealand, led the way in earthquake policy and science as a result. The impacts of earthquakes The tragic loss of life is not the only major negative effect of earthquakes, a number of earthquakes have caused billions of dollars worth of damage to infrastructure and private property. The high cost of damage in the 2011 Fukushima and Christchurch earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand respectively demonstrates that even wealthy, developed countries who are experienced in dealing with earthquakes are ill-equipped when the large earthquakes hit.

The average temperature in the contiguous United States reached 55.5 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius) in 2024, approximately 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the 20th-century average. These levels represented a record since measurements started in ****. Monthly average temperatures in the U.S. were also indicative of this trend. Temperatures and emissions are on the rise The rise in temperatures since 1975 is similar to the increase in carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. Although CO₂ emissions in recent years were lower than when they peaked in 2007, they were still generally higher than levels recorded before 1990. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and is the main driver of climate change. Extreme weather Scientists worldwide have found links between the rise in temperatures and changing weather patterns. Extreme weather in the U.S. has resulted in natural disasters such as hurricanes and extreme heat waves becoming more likely. Economic damage caused by extreme temperatures in the U.S. has amounted to hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars over the past few decades.

Since 1880, the annual global land temperature anomaly has fluctuated, showing an overall upward tendency. In 2024, the global land surface temperature stood at 1.98 degrees Celsius above the global average between 1901 to 2000. This was the highest annual temperature anomaly recorded during the period in consideration. Anomalies in global ocean surface temperature followed a similar trend over the same period of time. Man-made change The Earth's temperature increases naturally over time as the planet goes through cyclic changes. However, the scientific community has concluded that human interference, particularly deforestation and the consumption of fossil fuels, has acted as a catalyst in recent centuries. Increases in the unprecedented number of natural disasters in the past few decades, such as tropical cyclones, wildfires and heatwaves, have been attributed to this slight man-made increase in the Earth's surface temperature. End of an ice age? Although a one- or two-degree anomaly may not seem like a large difference, changes in the ocean and land temperatures have significant consequences for the entire planet. A five-degree drop triggered the last major ice age – the Quaternary Glaciation – over 20,000 years ago, which technically is still continuing today. This ice age is in its final interglacial period, and it will not officially end until the remnants of the final ice sheets melt, of which there are only two left today, in Antarctica and Greenland.