Research and data show countries hit hardest by natural disasters

There are many beautiful places to visit in the world, but sometimes Mother Nature makes it difficult to take in all that regions have to offer. In some situations, natural disasters are unavoidable, making some travel plans difficult.

Recently it became clear which countries are most dangerous places to travel in the world who are vulnerable to natural disasters. The same people who conducted this study Intersecare now back with new data to share.

This time they are focusing on the countries that are most affected by these natural disasters. The full study and methodology of how they came up with the list can be found found here.

The Natural Disaster Impact Index was created to assess the various impacts, both human and economic, between 2020 and 2024 caused by natural disasters. Data collection, normalization, standardization, equal weight and composite index were the five important points.

The United States of America was in third place overall with a damage index of 40.86. Their average economic loss of $13.74 billion exceeded the rest of the field. This is what made it so high, as their total number of deaths and injuries of 5,200 was the second highest.

The only country with fewer deaths and injuries was New Zealand (179). It ranked 9th on the list with an average economic loss of over $35 million and a damage index of 6.96.

Guatemala has the highest number of deaths and injuries – 849 thousand people. But they ranked last on the list with a disaster index of 4.49.

The country with the unfortunate title of the most long-suffering is Dominica. With a population of 66,205, the total number of deaths was 26,000 and the average economic loss reached nearly $2 million with a damage index of 68.21.

Major hurricanes, such as Hurricane Maria in 2017, played a large role in Dominica’s ranking as number one. The same natural disaster caused significant damage to Puerto Rico.

Their index was not close to that of any other country. The next highest was the Bahamas with a score of 42.58. Only two other countries, Solomon Islands and Puerto Rico, were in the 20s; Solomon Islands was fourth with a score of 26.97 and Puerto Rico was fifth with a score of 24.98.

The list is completed by Japan, Grenada and Tonga. It ranks 6th, 7th and 8th with natural disaster indices of 19.47, 12.05 and 11.44.

“This analysis highlights the urgent need to improve preparedness in countries at high risk of natural disasters. While the study highlights the devastating human and economic costs, it also points to the importance of investing in early warning systems, infrastructure resilience, and disaster response strategies. Such investments are necessary because they can save lives, reduce economic losses, and protect vulnerable communities from the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters. Public-private partnerships are key to scaling these efforts, as businesses can help accelerate climate change adaptation measures and ensure a more sustainable future,” said Charlotte Cardona of Intersec.