Very high catastrophe risk for America and Asia

According to the latest WorldRiskIndex, Germany is now no longer considered a low risk either.

The global hotspots of disaster risk from natural hazards are in the Americas and Asia. This is shown by the WorldRiskIndex 2022, which the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) of the RUB and the "Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft" published on September 8, 2022 as part of the WorldRiskReport 2022.

The index, which has been published annually since 2011, has been completely revised conceptually and methodologically for the 2022 edition. The WorldRiskIndex calculates disaster risk for 193 countries and thus 99 percent of the world's population; the Philippines, India and Indonesia have the highest risk, followed by Colombia and Mexico. Germany is ranked 101 in the global midfield - and thus no longer in the lowest of the five risk classes as in the past.

"Floods, heat waves and droughts are increasing seriously, and climate change is also having a massive impact on risk assessment. For a country's risk of an extreme natural event turning into a disaster, the natural and climate-related exposure forms the first part of the equation. The second part is what is known as the vulnerability of society. This vulnerability is the factor of risk that can be directly influenced," explains Dr. Katrin Radtke of the IFHV, scientific project manager of the WorldRiskReport 2022 with the focus topic "Digitalization." "Due to the availability of new data, the new WorldRiskIndex paints a more precise and differentiated risk picture. Digitization is providing important foundations for this. In addition, digital data and systems expand the range of what is possible for authorities and aid organizations both in the management of disaster risks and in emergency relief after the occurrence of an extreme natural event."

"Overall, the WorldRiskIndex now comprises 100 indicators instead of 27 previously. In particular, the inclusion of indicators on how populations have been affected by disasters and conflicts in the past five years, as well as on refugees, displaced persons and asylum seekers, in the new index results in a much more accurate representation of the realities of life in many countries - also against the backdrop of major global migration movements," explains Daniel Weller, Research Associate at IFHV. "In addition, the 'exposure' component has been significantly expanded: while the previous WorldRiskIndex took earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, droughts and sea-level rise into account, tsunamis are now added and a distinction is made between coastal and river flooding."

Download the complete WorldRiskReport 2022