The WorldRiskReport 2026 - Why storms turn into disasters
Country: World Source: Ruhr-Universität Bochum Please refer to the attached file. The new WorldRiskReport focuses on storms and presents the first-ever global storm risk ranking for 193 countries. The Philippines, Mexico, and Madagascar hold the top three spots, while Germany ranks 167th with a very low storm risk. Tropical cyclones are becoming more intense, their paths are shifting, and more and more people living on coastlines are falling within their reach. However, it is not the wind that determines whether a storm turns into a disaster. Why does the same storm lead to a once-in-a-century disaster in one country, while in a neighboring country it causes only minor damage? This question is explored in the WorldRiskReport 2026, which Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft and the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) at Ruhr University Bochum are publishing today at the Extreme Weather Congress in Hamburg. Since 2011, the report has analyzed the disaster risk for 193 countries on an annual basis. This year, the focus is on storms – one of the most devastating natural hazards. The data reveal a clear trend. While the number of cyclones remains stable, their intensity is increasing. At the same time, their paths are shifting toward the poles, affecting regions that were never built to withstand severe storms. It is not the wind but the storm surge that claims the most lives, and as sea levels rise, coastlines that were once considered safe will be flooded in the future. Small island states and the rapidly growing coastal cities of the Global South will be hit the hardest. “Storms are natural phenomena. Disasters are not. Whether people die is decided long before a storm makes landfall – in building regulations, warning systems and social welfare systems,” says Dr. Katrin Radtke, scientific director of the WorldRiskReport at the IFHV. The storm ranking, published for the first time, illustrates just how unevenly the risk is distributed: 123 of the 193 countries are scarcely exposed to storms, while ten countries bear the brunt of the global storm risk. Leading the list is the Philippines, which has the highest overall risk. A look at Japan and the USA shows that high exposure does not necessarily result in a disaster. Although they are just as heavily exposed as many countries in the Global South, thanks to early warning systems, building standards and stable institutions, they bear only a fraction of the risk. The report also highlights a dangerous convergence, which political scientist Dr. Stephan Klingebiel analyzes in a commentary. While extreme weather events are on the rise, funding for humanitarian aid is coming under pressure worldwide. “Storms are becoming stronger, and people are increasingly living within their reach. At the same time, funding for humanitarian aid is being cut. The WorldRiskReport 2026 makes it clear just how costly this convergence will be if we do not invest in preparedness now,” says Dr. Ilona Auer Frege, Executive Director of Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft. Climate scientist Dr. Friederike Otto explains in an interview how climate change is altering storms. From this issue onwards, the report will appear in a fundamentally revised design.
ReliefWeb•Ruhr-Universität Bochum6h ago
