Between 1995 and 2024, the world suffered USD 4.5 trillion in economic damage and over 832,000 deaths due to 9,700 extreme weather events, according to the Climate Risk Index 2026 by Germanwatch.
The report identifies storms as the costliest disasters, accounting for 58% of total losses, followed by floods (29%). Heat waves and floods together caused two-thirds of all fatalities, while droughts affected nearly 1.8 billion people over three decades.
“Human-induced climate change is clearly amplifying the frequency and intensity of these events,” said author Lina Adil in a statement.
In 2024 alone, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Chad topped the list of most-affected nations, after being hit by hurricanes, droughts, and record floods.
Germanwatch’s authors have urged COP30 leaders to bridge the ‘global ambition gap’, calling for rapid emission cuts, stronger adaptation, and urgent funding for loss and damage.
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