Natural Disaster Data Book 2019 (An Analytical Overview)

The Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) Natural Disasters Data Book 2019 provides statistical perspectives in figures and tables for 2019 as well as for the period 1990-2019 based on data obtained by EM-DAT.

According to EM-DAT, 440 natural disasters occurred in 2019 worldwide, killing 24,112 people and affecting approx. 100 million people. The estimated amount of economic damage came over US$102 billion.

In 2019, the epidemics in the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo brought about serious damages to these countries causing 5,400 and 3,559 people killed respectively. India experienced a serious flooding during the monsoon season in this year, causing 1,900 deaths, as well as approx. 3 million people affected. In addition, Europe suffered heat waves in the summer of 2019 and France recorded 868 deaths. The cyclone Idai which brought devastations in the eastern Africa caused 628 and 603 deaths in Zimbabwe and Mozambique respectively, as well as approx. 270,000 and 1.5 million people affected.

The Cyclone Fani caused 20 million people affected in India and the drought in the DPR Korea affected 10.1 million people in 2019.

By region, Asia was ranked the highest in disaster occurrences, number of people affected and amount of economic damage with 38.2 percent in occurrences; number of people affected, 74.4 percent; and amount of economic damage, 60.6 percent. Africa has the largest share in number of people killed with 52.5 percent.

By disaster types, floods and storms accounted for high percentages in the most of indices in 2019. However, epidemic ranked the first in number of people killed in the world with 51.3 percent

Data Book 2019 also contains tables of the 25 worst disasters by number of people killed and affected, economic damage, and their respective ratios to population and gross domestic product (GDP). It also includes tables of 2019 disasters in Asian countries sorted by country and disaster type.