Climate Risk Index 2025: Key insights and global impact

The Climate Risk Index 2025 analyzes the impact of extreme weather events through three main risks: hydrological, meteorological, and climatological. It is based on data from the EM-DAT international disaster database, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The index considers both absolute and relative impacts, with data spanning from 1993 to 2022.

According to the report, from 1993 to 2022, extreme climate events worldwide led to the deaths of 765,000 people and caused direct economic damage amounting to $4.2 trillion. These climate disasters are occurring more frequently and with greater severity.

Between 1993 and 2022, extreme weather conditions caused the most damage in Dominica, China, and Honduras. In 2022 alone, the most affected countries were Pakistan, Belize, and Italy.

Impact of major disasters

Both short-term and long-term impacts have been most strongly driven by floods, storms, heatwaves, and droughts. Between 1993 and 2022, the primary causes of fatalities were storms (35%), heatwaves (30%), and floods (27%). Floods caused the most harm to people (32% or $1.33 trillion), while storms led to the greatest economic loss (56% or $2.33 trillion).

The analysis shows that threats that were previously rare are now becoming a regular occurrence in certain areas.

According to the long-term index for the years 1993-2022, the countries that suffered the most can be divided into two groups:

- Countries most affected by rare extreme events: Dominica, Honduras, Myanmar, Vanuatu.

- Countries suffering from the recurrent occurrence of extreme events: China, India, the Philippines.

Situation in Asia

Since 1993, Asia has suffered at least $2 trillion in damage due to extreme weather events such as floods and heatwaves.

Among Asian countries, China is one of the most affected by climate change. Over the past 30 years, it has experienced 42,000 deaths and economic losses amounting to $706 billion.

High-income countries are also vulnerable to climate disasters

According to the report, seven of the ten countries most affected by climate disasters in 2022 were high-income nations. This suggests that, despite their significantly better ability to address climate risks compared to lower-income countries, high-income nations still need to strengthen their climate risk management efforts.

Long-term analyses show that the greatest impacts of extreme weather events have been felt, particularly in countries of the Global South (a group of less developed nations). Of the ten countries most affected, five are middle-income countries. Three of them are small island developing states or least developed countries, where the capacity to combat climate risks is very low.

Lack of climate risk index and data

The ranking is based on the best available historical data on the impact of extreme weather events. However, in Global South countries, the occurrence of extreme weather events and their impacts are not adequately documented. This is due to gaps in data quality, coverage, and the existing data available. As a result, the ranking may not fully reflect the impact on some countries.

Human-induced climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events and leading to widespread negative climate consequences. The latest scientific research and advanced studies on climate change suggest that the impact of extreme weather events supports the hypothesis that "human activities can heat the climate."

International disagreements

The report also mentions that no ambitious agreement was reached regarding the new climate financing goal (New Collective Quantified Goal – NCQG) at the COP29 summit held in Azerbaijan in 2024.

Given the identified needs and the climate challenges faced by developing countries, it is being considered as a minimum measure that $300 billion should be allocated annually until 2035 to combat the climate crisis.

"Furthermore, the agreement does not include measures to compensate for the losses and damages caused by climate change. This gap must be addressed as quickly as possible. The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that the financial resources allocated for adaptation are insufficient in relation to existing needs and the promises made. High-emission countries and other polluting companies must significantly increase their support for the countries most affected by the consequences of climate change," the report states.