Extreme events in India claim eighty thousand lives and cost USD 180 bn in 30 years: Report

India ranked sixth most affected country due to climate change-triggered extreme weather events from 1993 to 2022. The country faced more than 400 extreme events, incurring losses of USD 180 billion and claiming at least 80,000 fatalities in the three decades.

However, the country has managed to improve its Climate Risk Index (CRI) rank after 2022. These findings were part of the CRI 2025, released by the environmental organization Germanwatch last week. Dominica, China, Honduras, Myanmar, and Italy are ahead of India.  

The report analysed six hazards- Drought, Flood, Heatwave, Storm, Wildfire, and Others- and their impacts on people including fatalities and economic losses.

Globally, over 7,65,000 people lost their lives due to more than 9400 extreme weather events until 2022 and cost the world nearly USD 4.2 trillion. The report stated that floods, storms, heat waves, and drought were the most prominent impacts from short- and long-term perspectives. From 1993 to 2022, storms (35%), heat waves (30%), and floods (27%) caused the most fatalities. Floods were responsible for half of the people affected. Storms caused, by far, the most significant economic losses (56% or USD 2.33 trillion inflation-adjusted), followed by floods (32% or USD 1.33 trillion).

“This year’s Climate Risk Index clearly shows how all countries must improve their climate risk management to be better prepared for extreme weather events and minimize harm to people and economic damages. The most vulnerable countries urgently need increased financial support from the international community to avert the severe consequences of climate impacts. In times of geopolitical turmoil and waning commitments, wealthier countries must step up, live up to their responsibilities, and provide the necessary support to ensure a more resilient and sustainable future,” said Vera Künzel, co-author of the Climate Risk Index and Senior Advisor on Climate Change Adaptation and Human Rights, Germanwatch. 

Over the years, India has been battling a variety of recurring frequent extreme weather events, including floods, heat waves, cyclones, and drought, highlighting its vulnerability to diverse climate risks.

Some of the notable extreme events in the given 30 years included the 1998 Gujarat cyclone, 1999 Odisha cyclone, Cyclone Hudhud 2014, Cyclone Amphan 2020, Uttarakhand floods of 2013, along with unusually intense heat waves in 1998, 2002, 2003, and 2015 with temperatures around 50°C.

Countries included in the long-term index have been grouped into two categories: a) those most impacted by unusual extreme events, and b) those facing recurring extreme events (ongoing threats). India, along with nations like China, the Philippines, and Pakistan, falls into the second category (ongoing threats). These ongoing threats can also encompass unusually extreme events as well. This category has gained more significance in recent years. These countries consistently rank among the most affected in both the long-term index and the annual index.

The report analysis gave clear indications that climate change is playing a role in turning unusual extreme events into persistent threats. Science has clearly demonstrated the substantial impact of climate change on the frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme weather events.

Economic Losses

Human-induced climate change affects the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and leads to widespread adverse climate impacts. Experts have warned against the alarmingly high projections for economic losses due to climate change. According to the report, climate change could cost the global economy up to USD 38 trillion annually by 2050. This cost is primarily through losses in agriculture, infrastructure, and public health.

The Global South is especially impacted, both in absolute and relative terms. Income losses in countries that have the least contribution to climate change are expected to be 60% higher than in higher-income nations. The growing effects of climate change mainly led to higher costs for adaptation and for managing loss and damage.

Methodology

The CRI ranking is based on the best publicly available historical data set on the extreme weather events’ impacts. Extreme weather events and their impacts are often underreported in Global South countries because of data quality and coverage challenges and data gaps. As a result, this ranking may less accurately capture these impacts and, therefore, how Global South countries are affected.

The new Climate Risk Index 2025 has emphasized that insufficient ambition and action in climate mitigation and adaptation result in significant impacts.