2025 Disaster Report Shows Storms Increasing While Other Events Remain Below Average
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A new report from the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded 358 disasters in 2025, affecting over 110 million people and causing significant fatalities and economic losses. While storms were the only disaster category to exceed their 25-year average, the two deadliest events of the year were earthquakes in Myanmar and Afghanistan. The analysis provides a data-driven snapshot of global disaster impacts.
Facts First
- 358 reported disasters in 2025 affected more than 110 million people.
- At least 16,607 fatalities and nearly $170 billion in economic losses resulted from these events.
- Storms were the only disaster category with impacts exceeding the 25-year average.
- 156 storms occurred in 2025, a 44% increase over the 2005-2024 annual average.
- The two deadliest disasters were earthquakes in Myanmar and Afghanistan.
What Happened
The Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) published its annual report on April 20. The report, based on data from the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT), analyzed nine types of disasters in 2025, including earthquakes and climate-related events like droughts, extreme temperatures, floods, wildfires, and storms. It found storms were the only category where impacts exceeded the 25-year average, with 156 storms recorded—44% more than the annual average from 2005 to 2024. The two deadliest individual disasters were earthquakes: a magnitude-7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar in March 2025 resulted in 3,820 deaths.
Why this Matters to You
This data provides a benchmark for understanding the scale and type of disasters affecting communities worldwide. If you live in a region prone to storms, the report suggests your area may be experiencing a higher frequency of these events compared to historical norms. For governments and aid organizations, the quantified economic losses and fatalities help prioritize resource allocation and disaster preparedness planning. The information could influence where and how international disaster relief funding is directed.
What's Next
The report's findings may be used by policymakers and researchers to track trends in disaster frequency and severity. Continued monitoring through databases like EM-DAT will be essential for identifying whether the increase in storms becomes a sustained pattern or if other disaster categories begin to rise above their historical averages. The data provides a foundation for future risk assessments and mitigation strategies.