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In 2024,(1) the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded 393 natural hazard-related disasters.(2) These events caused 16,753 fatalities and affected 167.2 million people. Economic losses totaled US$241.95 billion. The year 2024 was marked by extreme temperature events in Asia that caused thousands of deaths, severe droughts in Africa affecting over 25 million people,(3) and devastating tropical storms in the United States of America (USA), with cumulative damage exceeding US$100 billion.
With 16,753 reported deaths, 2024 stands below the 2004-2023 average of 65,566 deaths, primarily due to the absence of mass disasters. Several extreme temperature related events in Asia rank among the year’s top 10 deadliest events.
In June 2024, an extreme heat event in Saudi Arabia during the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca claimed more than 1,300 lives. Other Asian countries also experienced severe heat waves and record-breaking temperatures in 2024. However, the actual human impact is likely underreported. Based on available data, heat waves in India between March and June reportedly caused 733 deaths, while 568 people died in Pakistan. In Bangladesh, around 33 million children were affected by extreme heat. In the USA, preliminary estimates suggest 1,006 deaths, though this only includes data from the cities of Phoenix (Arizona) and Las Vegas (Nevada). In Europe, excess mortality due to heat wave was reported in Mediterranean countries, but final figures were not yet available at the time of reporting.
In Afghanistan, severe winter conditions led to nearly 1,200 deaths. On May 24, a major landslide struck Enga Province in Papua New Guinea, resulting in one of the country’s most severe disasters in recent memory. United Nations agencies estimated around 670 fatalities. In Japan, on January 1, a powerful earthquake claimed 551 lives and was among the costliest disasters of 2024, with estimated damage totaling US$15 billion.
Floods caused the highest number of fatalities in Africa. From July to September, 576 people died in Chad, while floods in Niger from June to October claimed 396 lives. In India and Bangladesh, 8 million and 5.8 million people, respectively, were affected by heavy monsoon rains, flash floods, and thunderstorms in late August, while another 5.1 million people were affected in Bangladesh earlier in June and July. In Spain, floods in late October and early November, especially in the Valencia region, were among the 2024 costliest globally, with damage totaling US$11 billion. In Brazil, early May floods, landslides, and mudslides in the Rio Grande do Sul region caused an estimated US$7 billion in damage.
Tropical storms also had a major impact globally. In early September, Typhoon Yagi caused the highest number of fatalities in Myanmar, killing 460 people and causing extensive damage and casualties in other countries. In total, at least 29 million people across Southeast Asia were affected by destructive cyclones, e.g., Typhoon Gaemi (Carina) and Prapiroon (Butchoy) in July, and Trami (Kristine) in October. Earlier in the year, Cyclone Remal in Bangladesh affected approximately 4.6 million people. The USA also experienced significant impacts from hurricanes such as Helene, Milton, and Beryl, ranked among the costliest in 2024.
Droughts severely affected several African countries. In 2024, extreme drought conditions impacted approximately 9.8 million people in Zambia, 7.6 million in Zimbabwe, and 6.1 million in Malawi. In Brazil, an unprecedented drought in the Amazon region, one of the most severe in centuries, caused an estimated US$6 billion in damage. The USA also experienced drought, primarily in the southern, eastern, and northwestern regions, with estimated losses of US$5.4 billion. The EM-DAT data indicate that, overall, 2024 was more costly in terms of disaster-related damage than the average year over the past two decades.
- Preliminary data as of 2025-04-08
- In this report, disasters are related to natural hazards, excluding biological
and extra-terrestrial hazards, reported at the country level in EM-DAT. - In this report, drought figures include events declared in 2024 and their provisional impact at the date of reference. Hence, events declared in previous years and still ongoing in 2024 are not included.
- This number referred to children affected by nationwide school closures, a government measure to reduce the risks of dehydration and heatstroke. ReliefWeb OCHA reported that local media indicated 70% of Bangladesh’s population was impacted, without further detail on the nature of the impact.