In 2023, tropical cyclones in the Philippines caused around **** billion Philippine pesos worth of damage. On the other hand, earthquakes resulted in about *** billion Philippine pesos worth of damage. The country's geographical position makes it prone to natural disasters.

In 2024, the total damage during major extreme natural events and disasters in the Philippines amounted to about ***** billion Philippine pesos. The value of damages was highest in 2013 due to Typhoon Haiyan. Due to its geographical location, the country is prone to natural disasters such as tropical cyclones and earthquakes.

According to a 2024 study, the Philippines was the country with the highest natural disaster risk in the world. The Pacific archipelago was given a disaster risk index (WRI) of *****, followed by Indonesia, with a disaster risk index of *****. In contrast, Monaco and Andorra had the lowest natural disaster risk worldwide that year, with a WRI of **** and **** respectively. The WRI index is calculated by considering how exposed countries are to natural disasters together with how vulnerable they are to them. Natural disasters’ frequency Since the century began, natural disasters have become more frequent. Every single year since 2013 has recorded more than *** events. In 2023, *** disasters were reported worldwide, a ** percent increase compared to 2000. Considering that climate-related events are more common than geophysical ones (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions), accounting for roughly ** percent of all natural disasters in 2023, the general upward trend can be mostly associated with climate change and its impact on weather patterns and phenomena. The biggest natural disasters The earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011 was the costliest natural disaster around the world since 1980, with losses reaching *** billion U.S. dollars. The Kobe earthquake from 1995 and the Sichuan earthquake from 2000 also rank among the costliest disasters on the past decades. Apart from earthquakes, hurricanes also tend to leave a considerable economic impact where they hit. ***** out of the *** biggest natural catastrophes, based on economic losses, were hurricanes, with Katrina, which hit the coasts of the U.S. in 2005, being the costliest.

Philippines PH: Droughts, Floods, Extreme Temperatures: Average 1990-2009: % of Population data was reported at 0.806 % in 2009. Philippines PH: Droughts, Floods, Extreme Temperatures: Average 1990-2009: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 0.806 % from Dec 2009 (Median) to 2009, with 1 observations. Philippines PH: Droughts, Floods, Extreme Temperatures: Average 1990-2009: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Philippines – Table PH.World Bank: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Droughts, floods and extreme temperatures is the annual average percentage of the population that is affected by natural disasters classified as either droughts, floods, or extreme temperature events. A drought is an extended period of time characterized by a deficiency in a region's water supply that is the result of constantly below average precipitation. A drought can lead to losses to agriculture, affect inland navigation and hydropower plants, and cause a lack of drinking water and famine. A flood is a significant rise of water level in a stream, lake, reservoir or coastal region. Extreme temperature events are either cold waves or heat waves. A cold wave can be both a prolonged period of excessively cold weather and the sudden invasion of very cold air over a large area. Along with frost it can cause damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and property. A heat wave is a prolonged period of excessively hot and sometimes also humid weather relative to normal climate patterns of a certain region. Population affected is the number of people injured, left homeless or requiring immediate assistance during a period of emergency resulting from a natural disaster; it can also include displaced or evacuated people. Average percentage of population affected is calculated by dividing the sum of total affected for the period stated by the sum of the annual population figures for the period stated.; ; EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database: www.emdat.be, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels (Belgium), World Bank.; ;

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.