2024 Disasters in Numbers
In 2024, the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded 393 natural hazard-related disasters. 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, and devastating tropical storms in the United States of America (USA), with cumulative damage exceeding US$100 billion. With 16,753 reported deaths, the year under review stands below the 2004-2023 average of 65,566 deaths, primarily due to the absence of mass disasters — such as significant earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, or heat waves — whose death toll per event can exceed 10,000. Nevertheless, 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 as temperatures exceeded 50°C. Other Asian countries also experienced severe heat waves and record-breaking temperatures in 2024, including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, and the Philippines. However, the actual human impact is likely underreported and not fully reflected in EM-DAT.
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