Research and Data Reveals Countries That Have Suffered Most From Natural Disasters

Which countries around the world have suffered the most from natural disasters?

During Helene a lithium battery in a golf cart started on fire and West Manatee Fire Rescue was unable to respond due to the flooding conditions of the hurricane on the north end of Anna Maria Island. / Thomas Bender / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There are a lot of beautiful places to visit around the world, but sometimes Mother Nature creates challenges to take in all that regions have to offer. Natural disasters are unavoidable in some situations, which will create difficulties in planning some trips.

Recently, it was revealed which countries are the most dangerous travel destinations in the world that are vulnerable to natural disasters. The same people who did that research, Intersec, are now back with more data to share.

This time, they are focused on the countries that suffer the most from those natural disasters. Full research and methodology for how they came up with the list can be found here.

A Disaster Impact Index was created to assess different impacts, both human and economic, between 2020 and 2024 caused by natural disasters. Data collection, normalization, standardization, equal weighting and composite index were five prominent bullet points.

In third place overall, with a Damage Index of 40.86, was the United States of America. Their average economic damage of $13.74 billion lapped the rest of the field. It was what put it so high as their total deaths and injuries of 5.2K was the second lowest.

The only country with a lower death and injury count was New Zealand with 179. It came in at No. 9 on the list with more than $35 million in average economic damage and a Damage Index of 6.96.

Guatemala had by far the most recorded deaths and injuries with 849K. But, they came in last in on the list with a Disaster Index of 4.49.

The country with the unfortunate title of most suffering is Dominica. With a population of 66,205, they had 26,000 total deaths and average economic damage that reached nearly $2 million, for a Damage Index of 68.21.

Major hurricanes, such as Hurricane Maria in 2017, played a big part in Dominica being in the No. 1 spot. That same natural disaster is also what caused significant damage in Puerto Rico.

Their index wasn’t close to any other country. The next closest was the Bahamas with a 42.58. Only two other countries, Solomon Islands and Puerto Rico, were in the 20s; Solomon Islands was fourth with a 26.97 and Puerto Rico was fifth with a 24.98.

Rounding out the list is Japan, Grenada and Tonga. Coming in at Nos. 6, 7 and 8 with Disaster Indexes of 19.47, 12.05 and 11.44.

“This analysis underscores the critical need for enhanced preparedness in countries at high risk of natural disasters. While the study highlights the devastating human and economic tolls, it also points to the importance of investing in early warning systems, infrastructure resilience, and disaster response strategies. Such investments are essential because they can save lives, reduce economic losses, and protect vulnerable communities from the growing frequency and intensity of natural disasters. Public-private partnerships are key to scaling these efforts, as businesses can help accelerate the implementation of climate adaptation measures and ensure a more resilient future,” said Charlotte Cardona of Intersec.