WHO collaborating
Centre for Research on
the Epidemiology ofDisasters - CRED

Annual Disaster
Statistical Review 2012
The numbers and trends
Debarati Guha-Sapir, Philippe Hoyois andRegina BelowAnnual Disaster
Statistical Review 2012
The numbers and trends
Debarati Guha-Sapir
Philippe Hoyois
andRegina Below

Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)
Institute of Health and Society (IRSS)
Université catholique de Louvain – Brussels, Belgium

Acknowledgements
The data upon which this report is based are maintained through the long-term support of the US
Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA).
We are grateful to Laurence McLean for proofreading and Pandora Kodrou for designing graphs andmaps.
We encourage the free use of the contents of this report with appropriate and full citation:“Guha-Sapir D, Hoyois Ph. , Below. R. Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012: The Numbers andTrends. Brussels: CRED; 2013.”

This document is available on http://www.cred.be/sites/default/files/ADSR_2012.pdf

Printed by:
Ciaco Imprimerie, Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium)This publication is printed in an environmentally - friendly manner.
August 2013

ii Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trendsAbout CREDThe Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) has been active for more than 35
years in the fields of international disaster and conflict health studies, with research and training
activities linking relief, rehabilitation and development. It was established in Brussels in 1973 at the
School of Public Health of the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL) as a non-profit institution withinternational status under Belgian law. In 1980, CRED became a World Health Organization (WHO)collaborating centre as part of WHO’s Global Program for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
Since then, CRED has increased its international network substantially and collaborates closely withnumerous UN agencies, inter-governmental and governmental institutions, non–governmentalorganizations, research institutes and universities.

Objective
The Centre promotes research and provides an evidence base to the international community on
the burden of disease and related health issues due to disasters and conflicts, in order to improve
preparedness and responses to these humanitarian emergencies. CRED trains field managers,
students, relief personnel and health professionals in the management of short and long-term
humanitarian emergencies.

CRED’s focus
CRED’s research focuses on all humanitarian and emergency situations with a major impact onhuman health. These include all types of natural and human-made disasters, such as earthquakes,
floods and storms; longer-term disasters such as famines and droughts; and situations creating
mass displacement of people such as civil strife and conflicts.
The Centre focuses on health aspects and the burden of disease arising from disasters and complex
emergencies. CRED also promotes research on broader aspects of humanitarian crises, such as
human rights and humanitarian law, socio-economic and environmental issues, early warning
systems, the special needs of women and children, and mental health care.
The Centre is actively involved in stimulating debate on the effectiveness of various humanitarian
interventions. It encourages scientific and policy discussions on existing and potential interventions
and their impacts on acute and chronic malnutrition, human survival, morbidity, infectious diseases
and mental health.
The CRED team works in four main areas:
Natural disasters and their impacts
Civil strife and conflict epidemiology
Database and information support
Capacity building and training

The CRED team
The Centre is composed of a multinational and multidisciplinary team that includes experts inmedicine and public health, informatics and database management, psychology, nutritional
sciences, sociology, economics and geography. The working languages are English and French.

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trendsiii

iv Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

1

CHAPTER 1

5

1

7

About EM-DAT: The International Disaster Database
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4

What is EM-DAT?
Database definitions, criteria and content
Methodology
Disaster classification

7
7
9
10

CHAPTER 2

11

2

13

What did 2012 bring?

CHAPTER 3

19

3

21

How different was 2012?

CHAPTER 4

25

3

Regional analysis

27

4.1.
4.2.
4.3.
4.4.
4.5

AfricaAmericas
Asia
EuropeOceania

28
28
29
30
31

ANNEX 1: Definitions
ANNEX 2: List of countries per continent

35
39

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trendsv

List of Figures, Maps and Tables
FiguresFigure 1: Trends in occurrence and victims

4

Figure 2: Natural disaster classification

10

Figure 3: Top 10 countries by number of reported events in 201215

Figure 4: Top 10 countries in terms of disaster mortality in 2012and distributed by disaster type15

Figure 5: Top 10 countries by victims in 2012 and distributed bydisaster type16

Figure 6: Top 10 countries by damages in 2012 and distributed bydisaster type16

Figure 7: Natural disaster impacts by disaster sub-group:2012 versus 2002-2011 annual average

22

Maps
Map 1: Percent share of reported occurrence by disaster sub-groupand continent in 201232

Map 2: Percent share of reported victims by disaster sub-groupand continent in 201232

Map 3: Percent share of reported economic damages by disaster sub-groupand continent in 201233

TablesTable 1: Disaster sub-group definitions and classification

7

Table 2: Top 10 natural disasters by number of deaths

17

Table 3: Top 10 natural disasters by number of victims

17

Table 4: Top 10 natural disasters by economic damages

17

Table 5: Natural disaster occurrence and impacts: regional figures

27

vi Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

Executive Summary
In 2012, 357 natural triggered disasters1 were registered. This was both less than the averageannual disaster frequency observed from 2002 to 2011 (394), and represented a decrease inassociated human impacts of disasters in 2012, which were at their lowest level compared toprevious years. However, natural disasters still killed a significant number, a total of 9,655 people
were killed (annual average 2002-2011:107,000) and 124.5 million people become victims
worldwide (annual average 2002-2011:268 million) (see Figure 1). Contrary to other indicators,
economic damages from natural disasters did show an increase to above average levels (143 billion
2012 US $), with estimates placing the figure at US$ 157 billion.
Over the last decade, China, the United States, the Philippines, India and Indonesia constitute
together the top 5 countries that are most frequently hit by natural disasters. In 2012, China
experienced its fourth highest number of natural disasters of the last decade. The country wasaffected by a variety of disasters types, including 13 floods and landslides, 8 storms, 7 earthquakes
and one period of extreme temperature.
Amongst the top 10 countries in terms of disaster mortality in 2012, six countries are classified as
low-income or lower-middle income economies and four as high-income or upper-middle income
economies (see World Bank income classification)2. These countries3 accounted for 68.2% of global
reported disaster mortality in 2012. The single deadliest disaster was typhoon Bopha which killed
1,901 people in Philippines.
Hurricane Sandy, in the United States, was the most expensive natural disaster in 2012 withestimated economic damages of US$ 50.0 billion. The drought which affected the Mid-West andSouth-Western regions of the United States during the second half of the year (US$ 20.0 billion),
the May 20th and 29th earthquakes in Italy (US$ 15.8 billion), a flood in the Beijing region in China,
in July (US$ 8.0 billion) and tornadoes in March in the United States (US$ 5.0 billion) also added
significantly to the total disaster damages of 2012.
Most disaster victims in 2012 were sourced the flood that affected China in June, causing 17.4
million victims. Furthermore, China was affected by another flood in April (13.1 million victims) andby two storms in August (9.8 million victims), further contributing to a total of 44.6 million victims,
a figure representing 34.7% of global reported disaster victims. Droughts and consecutive famines
made many victims in Kenya (3.8 million), Mali (3.5 million), Sudan (3.2 million), Northern Korea (3million), Niger (3 million) and Burkina Faso (2.9 million). When considering the population size ofthe country, more than 20% of populations of Lesotho, Gambia, Mali and Niger were made victim
of natural disasters in 2012, mostly as a result of drought.
The data 2012 juxtaposed with the figures from the previous decade indicate that the number ofvictims (124.5 million) has decreased in relation to its annual average for the decade 2001 to 2010,
which equated to 268 million. This decrease is explained by the lower human impact from all typesof disasters. In 2012, the disaster with the greatest impact was a flood which affected 17 million
people in China in June. This contrast with the previous decade, characterized by, irrespective of
1

Biological disasters are not included in this publication.
http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups. Accessed on 8 July 2013.
3
High-income: Japan, United States; Upper-middle income: China, Russia; Lower-middle income : India, Indonesia,
Philippines; Low income : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Haiti.
2

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

1disaster type, at least two major disaster events per year which affected a greater number ofpeople.
In 2012, 53% of victims were from floods, 27 % from droughts and 16 % from storms. The country
the most affected was China with 36% of victims, worldwide.
In 2012, the number of people killed by disasters (9,655) was the lowest of the last decade and very
far from the 2002-2011 annual average of 107,000 deaths. This is mainly explained by a lower
number of deaths from all type of disasters. The number of people killed by earthquakes, floods
and wildfire are the lowest of the decade. The number of people killed by earthquakes (711) isparticularly low compared to a 2002-2011 average of 67,974. However, hydrological disasters took
the largest share of natural disaster fatalities in 2012, causing 3,574 deaths, and representing 39%
of global disaster mortality. But 2012 this followed a lower amount than the average, wherehydrological disasters killed 5,757 people per year from 2002 to 2011.
The estimated economic losses from natural disasters in 2012 (US$ 157 billion) surpassed of almost
10% the annual average damages from 2001 to 2010 (US$ 143 billion). Hurricane Sandy (US$ 50
billion) was the second costliest storm of the decade, but far behind Hurricane Katrina (2012 US$
147 billion). Damages from the drought in the South-Western and Mid-West regions of the UnitedStates (US$ 20 billion) were the highest reported for the decade. These two disasters accounted for
45% of the total amount of reported damages.
In 2012, geophysical reported damages (US$ 18.6 billion) were low compared to their 2002-2011
average of US$ 47 billion and the two earthquakes in the region of Ferrare, in Italia, (US$ 15.8
billion) account for 85 % of these damages.
The lower number of reported natural disasters in 2012 (357), when compared to the annual
average occurrence from 2002 to 2011 (394), was mostly due to a smaller number of hydrologicaland meteorological disasters, below their 2002-2011 annual average. Hydrological disasters still
took by far the largest share in natural disaster occurrence in 2012 (38.5%), followed bymeteorological disasters (25.3%), geophysical disasters (8.4%) and climatological disasters (7.3%).
Looking at the geographical distribution of disasters, Asia was the continent most often hit by
natural disasters in 2012 (40.7%), followed by the Americas (22.2%), Europe (18.3%), Africa (15.7%),
and Oceania (3.1%). This regional distribution of disaster occurrence resembles the profile
observed from 2002 to 2011. In 2012, disaster occurrence in Europe was more than three times theone for 2011 and surpassed its 2002-2011 annual average. Inversely, in Africa, the Americas, Asiaand Oceania, disaster occurrences were below the decade annual average.
Asia accounted in 2012 for 64.5% of global disaster victims, followed by Africa (30.4%). Comparedto their 2002-2011 annual averages, the number of victims in 2012 increased in Africa and Oceania,
but decreased in the Americas, Asia and Europe. On a more detailed note, climatological,hydrological and meteorological disasters caused more victims in 2012 in Africa. Climatological andgeophysical disasters made also more victims in the Americas and hydrological disasters in Oceania.
In Africa, it was floods and droughts which most increased the number of victims.
In 2012, the Americas suffered the most damages (65.7% of global disaster damages), followed by
Asia (17.8%) and Europe (15.4%). For both Africa and Oceania, a share of around 0.6% of global
disaster damages was reported. This distribution of disaster damages between continents differsfrom the distribution seen over the last decade when Asia experienced the most damages, followed
2 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

by the Americas and Europe. Damages in the Americas increased the most in 2012 compared to the
2002-2011 annual average, but damages in Europe were also higher. In contrast, damages in Asia
decreased. More precisely, meteorological and climatological disasters contributed most to theincreased damages in the Americas, mainly due to the hurricane Sandy and the drought in the U.S.
In Europe, the increase in damages is largely attributable to the two earthquakes in Italy.
EM-DAT’s global approach to the compilation of disaster data continuously provides us withvaluable information and trends on the occurrence of natural disasters and their impacts onsociety. However, the development of guidelines and tools for the creation of national and subnational disaster databases for the compilation of reliable, standardised, interoperable disasteroccurrence and impact data should be prioritised for more effective disaster risk reduction.
Figure 1 – Trends in occurrence and victims**Victims:Sum of deaths and total affected

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

3

4 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trendsChapter 1

About EM-DAT: The International Disaster Database What is EM-DAT?
 Database definitions, criteria and content
 Methodology Disaster classification

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

56 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

1. About EM-DAT: the International Disaster Database
1.1

What is EM-DAT?

Since 1988, with the sponsorship of the United States Agency for International Development’s
Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), CRED has maintained EM-DAT, a worldwide
database on disasters. It contains essential core data on the occurrence and impacts of more than
20 400 disasters in the world dating from 1900 to the present. The data are compiled from various
sources, including UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, insurance companies, research
institutes and press agencies. Priority is given to data from UN agencies, followed by OFDA,
governments and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Thisprioritization is not only a reflection of the quality or value of the data, but it also reflects the factthat most reporting sources do not cover all disasters or have political limitations that can affectthe figures. The entries are constantly reviewed for redundancy, inconsistencies andincompleteness. The database’s main objectives are to assist humanitarian action at both national
and international levels; to rationalize decision-making for disaster preparedness; and to provide an
objective basis for vulnerability assessment and priority setting.

1.2

Database definitions, criteria and content

CRED defines a disaster as “a situation or event which overwhelms local capacity, necessitating arequest to a national or international level for external assistance; an unforeseen and often sudden
event that causes great damage, destruction and human suffering”. EM-DAT distinguishes twogeneric categories for disasters, natural and technological. Technological disasters are not includedin this publication. Table 1 shows the definitions of natural disaster subgroups and their main types.
More disaster definitions can be found in Annex 1. For a disaster to be entered into the database,at least one of the following criteria must be fulfilled:••••

10 or more people reported killed;
100 or more people reported affected;
declaration of a state of emergency;
call for international assistance.

Table 1 – Natural disaster subgroup definition and classification
DisasterDefinition
Subgroup
GeophysicalMeteorologicalHydrological

Climatological
Biological4

Events originating from solid earth
Events caused by short-lived/small to meso scaleatmospheric processes (in the spectrum fromminutes to days)
Events caused by deviations in the normal water
cycle and/or overflow of bodies of water caused
by wind set-up
Events caused by long-lived/meso to macro scale
processes (in the spectrum from intra-seasonal tomulti-decadal climate variability)
Disaster caused by the exposure of livingorganisms to germs and toxic substances

Disaster Main Types
Earthquake, Volcano, Mass
Movement (dry)Storm

Flood, Mass Movement (wet)Extreme Temperature,
Drought, Wildfire
Epidemic, Insect Infestation,
Animal Stampede

4

Biological disasters are not included in this publication.
Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

7

EM-DAT includes the following fields:

DISNO: Unique disaster number for each disaster event (8 digits: 4 digits forthe year and 4 digits for the disaster number – for example,
19950324).
Country: Country (ies) in which the disaster occurred.
Disaster generic Two groups are distinguished in EM-DAT – natural and technologicalgroup: disasters.
Disaster sub- Five sub-groups of natural disasters have been defined: geophysical,
group: meteorological, hydrological, climatological and biological.
Disaster main type Description of the disaster according to a pre-defined classificationand sub-type: (for example, type: flood; sub-type: flash flood).
Date (start and Date when the disaster occurred and ended (month/day/year).
end):
Killed: Number of people confirmed dead and number missing andpresumed dead.
Injured: Number of people suffering from physical injuries, trauma or an
illness requiring immediate medical treatment as a direct result of adisaster.
Homeless: Number of people needing immediate assistance for shelter.
Affected: Number of people requiring immediate assistance during a period of
emergency; this may include displaced or evacuated people.
Total affected: Sum of injured, homeless and affected.
Victims: Sum of killed and total affected.
Estimated damage: Global figure of the economic impact of a disaster; it is given in US
dollars.
Additional fields: Other geographical information (such as latitude and longitude,
location), value and scale of the events (such as the Richter scalevalue for an earthquake), the international status (OFDA response,
request for international assistance, disaster/emergency declaration),
the aid contribution (in US dollars), and the different sectors affected.

8 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

1.3

Methodology

In EM-DAT and in this report, data are considered at the country level. This is for two reasons: first,
it is at this level that they are usually reported; and second, it allows the aggregation anddisaggregation of data. Annex 2 shows the list of countries per continent. In order to facilitate thecomparison over time for the analyses of this report, the event start date has been used as thedisaster reference date.
In EM-DAT, the number of people killed includes those confirmed dead and those missing andpresumed dead. People affected are those requiring immediate assistance during a period of
emergency (e.g. requiring basic survival assistance such as food, water, shelter, sanitation and
immediate medical help). People reported injured or homeless are aggregated with those affected
to produce the total number of people affected. In this report, the number of victims is used as ameasure of the human impact of a disaster. The number of victims is equal to the sum of persons
reported killed and the total number of persons reported affected.
The economic impact of a disaster usually consists of direct consequences on the local economy(e.g. damage to infrastructure, crops, housing) and indirect consequences (e.g. loss of revenues,
unemployment, market destabilization). In EM-DAT, the registered figure corresponds to theestimated value of the direct damage occasioned by the event, expressed in US dollars and, in thisreport, converted into 2012 dollar values. Estimates of disaster damages must be treated withcaution, because of (a) the financial value of infrastructures which is much higher in high-income
countries than in middle- and low-income countries; and (b) the low reporting rates of direct losses
which is however better for large disasters.
Droughts or food insecurities are often multi-years disaster; therefore, their impact over time has
to be taken into account. Bearing in mind that data on deaths and economic damage from drought
are infrequently reported, CRED has adopted the following rules as regards data for multi-year
droughts: (a) the total number of deaths reported for a drought is divided by the number of years
for which the drought persists. The resulting number is registered for each year of the drought
duration; (b) the same calculation is done for the reported economic damages; and (c) for the total
number of people reported to be affected, CRED considers that the same number is affected eachyear that the disaster persists.
In the computation of annual averages, the fact that some disasters begin at the end of a year andmay last some weeks or months into the following year as to be taken into account. In such case,
CRED has adopted the following rules: (a) regarding the number of people reported affected, thetotal number is recorded for both the start year and the end year; (b) for the numbers of people
reported to be killed by sudden onset disasters (earthquakes, flash floods, landslides, etc..) all thosekilled are registered according to “start year” of the disaster; (c) for the numbers of people
reported to be killed by slow-onset disasters, the total of all those killed is divided by two and a half
is attributed to each year of persistence; (d) reported economic damages are always attributed tothe end year of the disaster. This is because damage is related to both the strength of a disaster andits duration.

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

9The CRED/EM-DAT team continuously strives to improve its data reporting methodologies and the
EM-DAT database as a whole.

1.4

Disaster classification

EM-DAT distinguishes two generic categories for disasters (natural and technological), the natural
disaster category is divided into 5 sub-groups, which in turn cover 12 disaster types and more than
30 sub-types (Figure 2). See “http://www.emdat.be/classification” for the complete classificationand definitions.
Figure 2 – Natural disaster classification
NATURAL DISASTERS
BiologicalGeophysicalHydrological

Meteorological Epidemico Viral Infectious Diseaseo Bacterial Infectious
Diseaseo Parasitic Infectious
Diseaseo Fungal Infectious
Diseaseo Prion Infectious Disease Insect Infestation
 Animal Stampede

 Earthquake Volcano Mass Movement (Dry)o Rockfallo Landslideo Avalancheo Subsidence Flood
o General Floodo Flash Floodo Storm Surge / Coastal
Flood Mass Movement(Wet)o Rockfallo Landslideo Avalancheo Subsidence Stormo Tropical Cyclone
o Extra-Tropical Cycloneo Local Storm

Disasters used in thispublication

Hydro-Meteorological

Climatological Extreme Temperatureo Heat Waveo Cold Waveo Extreme Winter
Condition
 Drought Wildfire
o Forest Fireo Land Fire

10 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trendsChapter 2
What did 2012 bring?

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

1112 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

2. What did 2012 bring?
In the year 2012, natural disasters5 once again had a devastating impact on human society.
Worldwide, 357 reported natural disasters caused the death of more than 9,655 people, made122.9 million victims and caused a record amount of US$ 157.3 billion of damages. A total of 120
countries were hit by these disasters. The five countries that were most often hit, China, the UnitedStates, the Philippines, Indonesia and Afghanistan accounted for 38.1% of total disaster occurrencein 2012 (see Figure 3). Year after year, these countries appear prominently in the list of countries
experiencing the highest number of disaster events.
The main burden of disaster impacts was carried by a small number of countries in 2012. The
countries that made up the top 10 ranking in terms of disaster mortality in 2012 represented 68.2%
of global disaster mortality. Also, the top 10 countries for the number of victims and damages
accounted for 76.2% and 95.0% respectively of the global reported number of victims and damages
from natural disasters in 2012 (see Figures 4, 5 and 6).
Looking at the top 10 countries in terms of disaster mortality, five countries are classified as highincome or upper-middle income economies according to the World Bank income classification6.
These countries7 accounted for 45.7% of worldwide reported disaster mortality, for the most partdue to the typhoon Bopha in the Philippines on December 4th, 2012. This disaster caused nearly
1,901 deaths, signifying 19.7% of global disaster mortality in 2012.
Six out of the top 10 countries in terms of people killed by natural disasters are located in Asia, andaccounted for 53.4% of global reported disaster mortality, while the other four countries arelocated in Europe, Africa, Southern and Northern America. However, when looking at disastermortality relative to the number of inhabitants in the country, it is the Pacific region that appears
prominently in the top 10 ranking. Samoa, the Philippines, Fiji Islands and Papua New Guinea
counted respectively 6.4, 2.5, 2.0, and 0.9 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants due to meteorologicaland hydrological disasters. Eight out of these top 10 countries are classified as lower-middle income
or low-income economies according to the World Bank income classification.
Both five Asian and African countries share the top 10 list in terms of disaster victims. But, inabsolute number, the five Asian countries account for 58.7% of victims compared to 17.4% for thefive African countries. China alone, with 44.6 million reported victims in 2012, accounted for 36.3%
of global disaster victims and the Philippines, with 12.5 million victims, for 10.2%. In terms ofvictims as a proportion of total population size, with seven countries in the top 10, Africa dominate,mainly due to major droughts and the consecutive famine that affected parts of the continent.
Victims of drought accounted for 32.7% of the total population in Lesotho, for more than one fifthof the population in the Gambia and Mali and for more than 15% in Mauritania, Niger and Burkina
Faso.
With reported damages from natural disasters of US$ 157.3 billion, the year 2012 was the fifth
most expensive since 2002. Three countries, the United States, China and Italy accounted for 86.1%
of all reported damages. The United States (US$ 98.5 billion) accounted for 49.3% of worldwide
5

Biological disasters are not included in this publication.
http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups. Accessed on 8 July 2013.
7
High-income: Japan, United States; Upper-middle income: China, Russia; Lower-middle income : India, Indonesia,
Philippines; Low income : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Haiti.
.
6

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

13disaster costs. The hurricane Sandy which affected the US North-East coast and the drought in theSouth- and Mid-Western regions made damages estimated at US$ 50 billion and 20 billion
respectively. Storms accounted for 77% of US damages. Three-quarter of reported disaster costs in
China (US$ 19.8 billion) were attributable to floods and 16.2% to storms. With reported damages of
US$ 15.8 billion, the Ferrare region earthquakes in Italy was the third most expensive of the year
and accounted for 92.2% of all disaster cost in this country.
A different picture is drawn when comparing economic damages from natural disasters to thecountries’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP)8. Damages in Samoa, a low-middle income country,
represented 19.5% of the country’s GDP, whereas damages from natural disasters in Haiti – a low
income country – Fiji Islands and Pakistan - both low-middle income countries, - represented
respectively 3.2%, 2.4% and 1.1% of the countries’ GDPs. Inversely, disasters in the United Statesand Italy, two high income countries, represented, respectively, 0.6% and 0.9% of their GDP.
When considering the country top ten for the numbers of disasters, with 5 disasters in 2012,
Bangladesh had its best year since 2002.
In countries featuring in the top ten for numbers of people killed, Nigeria had its most deadly year
(378 deaths) since 2002, with 363 people killed by a flood in July. In contrast, with only 599 deaths
from natural disasters, 2012 was the safest year for India since 2002.
Among countries figuring in the 2012 top ten for the number of victims, the flood in Nigeria madethe highest number of victims (7 million) for this country since 2002. Inversely, China (44.6 million
victims) and India (4.3 million) knew their lowest numbers of natural disaster victims of the decade.
Since 2002, within top ten countries for amounts of damages were, in 2012, the highest in Italia(US$ 15.8 billion from Ferrare region earthquakes), the Philippines (US$ 1.7 billion caused bytyphoon Bopha), Ukraine and Brazil (droughts with, respectively, US$ 1.7 and 1.5 billion damages).
In 2012, the 10 most important disasters in terms of mortality, victims and damages accounted for
43.3%, 58.6% and 73.6 % of total disaster figures, respectively (see Tables 2, 3 and 4). This clearlyshows the impact that a few singular disaster events can have on human society, both in highincome and low-income countries.

8

GDP data from the World Bank. http://databank.worldbank.org/ddp/home.do. Accessed on June 4, 2013.

14 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

Figure 3 – Top 10 countries by number of reported events in 2012

Figure 4 – Top 10 countries in terms of disaster mortality in 2012 and distributed by disaster typeCountry

Philippines

DisasterNo. of deaths
distribution

Country

2 385 Samoa

Disaster
distribution

Deaths per
100 000
6.42

China P Rep

802 Philippines

2.48

Pakistan

671 Fiji

2.01

India

599 Haiti

1.27

Russia415 Afghanistan

1.13

Afghanistan

378 Peru

1.07

Nigeria

378 Lithuania

0.94

Peru

321 Papua New Guinea

0.92

Iran Islam Rep

319 Korea Dem P Rep

0.60

United States

318 Niger

0.56

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

15

Figure 5 – Top 10 countries by victims in 2012 and distributed by disaster typeCountry

Disaster
distribution

No. victims(millions)

Country

Disaster
distribution

Victims/
pop. (%)

China P Rep

44.6 Lesotho

32.7

Philippines

12.5 Gambia The

23.5

Nigeria

7.0 Paraguay

22.4

Bangladesh

5.7 Mali

21.9

Pakistan

5.1 Niger

21.7

India

4.3 Mauritania

19.3

Kenya

4.0 Chad

18.7

Niger

3.5 Burkina Faso

16.4

Mali

3.5 Philippines

13.0

Sudan

3.3 Korea Dem P Rep

12.8

Figure 6 – Top 10 countries by damages in 2012 and distributed by disaster typeCountry

Disaster
distribution

Damages(US$ bn.)

Country

Disaster
distribution% of GDP

United States

98.5 Samoa

19.5

China P Rep

19.8 Haiti

3.2

Italy

17.1 Fiji

2.4

United Kingdom

2.9 Pakistan

1.1

Pakistan

2.5 Madagascar

1.0

Philippines

1.8 Ukraine

1.0

Russia1.8 Italy

0.9

Japan

1.7 Comoros

0.8

Ukraine1.7 Philippines

0.7

Brazil

1.6 United States

0.6

16 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

Table 2 – Top 10 natural disasters by number of deaths
Event

Country

No. of deaths

Tropical cyclone (Bopha), December

Philippines

1 901

Flood, August-OctoberPakistan

480

Flood, July-October

Nigeria363

Earthquake, August

Iran Islam Rep

306

Cold wave, June

Peru

252

Cold wave, December

India

249

Flood, July

Russia172

Cold wave, December

Russia170

Flood, July

China P Rep

151

Avalanche, April

Pakistan

135
Total

4 179

Table 3 – Top 10 natural disasters by number of victims

Flood, June

China P Rep

Victims(in millions)
17.4

Flood, April

China P Rep

13.1

Flood, July-October

Nigeria

7.00

Tropical cyclone (Bopha), December

Philippines

6.2

Tropical cyclone (Haikui), August

China P Rep

6.0

Flood, June

Bangladesh

5.1

Flood, August-OctoberPakistan

5.0

Flood, August

Philippines

4.5

Tropical cyclone (Damrey), August

China P Rep

3.8

Drought

Kenya

3.8

Event

Country

Total

72.00

Table 4 – Top 10 natural disasters by economic damages

Tropical cyclone (Sandy), October

United States

Damages(in 2012 US$ bn.)
50.0

Drought, June

United States

20.0

Italy

15.8

Flood, July

China P Rep

8.0

Tornado, March

United States

5.0

Severe storm, April

United States

4.5

Severe storm, June

United States

4.0

Thunderstorm, May

United States

3.4

Flood, April

China P Rep

2.5

Flood, August

Pakistan

Event

Earthquakes, May

Country

9

2.5
Total

9

th

115.7

th

Include both earthquakes of 20 and 29 of May
Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

17

18 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trendsChapter 3
How different was 2012?

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

1920 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

3. How different was 2012?
The number of reported natural disasters in 2012 (357) showed an increase of 2.3% compared to2011’s number (349). Being the second lowest for the last decade, it remained 9.3% below theannual average disaster occurrence for 2002-2011 (394), confirming the stabilization of the growthin the number of reported disasters observed in previous decade and a possible slow decrease.
Less people were killed by disasters in 2012 (9,655) compared to 2011 (31,331) and to the 20022011 annual average (106 816). This number of people reported killed is also the lowest since 2009,
when 10,885 people were reported killed and is far below the peaks of 2010 (297,598), the year of
Haiti’s earthquake, 2004 (241,698) year of the Indian Ocean tsunami and 2008 (235,293) when
cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar. The number of reported victims in 2012 (124.5 million) was the lowest
since 2006, when 147.4 million victims were registered, and 53.5% below the decade’s annual
average of 267.9 million victims. The estimated economic losses from natural disasters in 2012 (US$
157.3 billion) were 9.7% above the damages annual average for years 2002-2011. Damages in 2012were the fifth highest since 2002, but far below 2011 (2012 US$ 356.6 billion), year of the tsunami
in Japan and the large flood in Thailand and 2005 (2012 US$ 253.4 billion), year of the hurricane
Katrina.
Compared to 2011, the higher number of reported natural disasters in 2012 was mainly due to agreater number of climatological disasters and extreme winter conditions and cold waves in
Eastern, Southern and Western countries in Europe and some countries in Central and Southern
Asia. The lower number of victims in 2012, compared to 2011, is observed for all disasters types
except for tropical cyclones whose number of victims knew an increase of almost 20%. The drop in
the reported number of people killed by natural disasters in 2012, compared to the 2011 is mostly
explained by a lower number of deaths from geophysical, hydrological and meteorologicaldisasters. The increase in damages in 2012 is mostly attributable to tropical storms and droughts.
Three disasters, the hurricane Sandy in the United States (US$ 50 billion), the drought in SouthWestern and Mid-Western regions of the United States (US$ 20 billion) and the two earthquakes in
Ferrare region in Italy (US$ 15.8 billion) accounted for 54% of all damages. Disaster trends are
greatly influenced by single, high-impacts events.

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

21

Figure 7 – Natural disaster impacts by disaster sub-group: 2012 versus 2002-2011 annual average

Hydrological disasters (floods and wet mass movements) still took the largest share in natural
disaster occurrence in 2012 (49.4%). Hydrological disasters caused 64.7 million victims, or 51.9% of
total disaster victims, and were responsible for 42.2% of the total reported number of people killedand 16.3% of total damages. The number of hydrological disasters (150) decreased compared to2011 (177) and was also below the 2001-2010 annual average (197). The number of victims fromhydrological disasters decreased by 45.1% compared to the decade annual average. Damages (US$25.6 billion) were close to their decade’s annual average (2012 US$ 26.4 billion). The mostexpensive flood (US$ 8 billion) occurred in the Beijin region in China but the amount was far below
the estimated US$ 40.0 billion of damages for the major flood which hit Thailand in 2011 and was
the most expensive hydrological disaster ever registered.
Meteorological disasters (storms) represented 25.2% of the total disaster occurrence in 2012.
Ninety meteorological disasters were reported, less than the 2002-2011 annual average of 102. Thisevolution reflected in a sharp decrease in the human impacts from these disasters, compared tothe annual averages from 2002 to 2011, as the numbers of victims decreased by 49.1%. Damages
were 46.1% above their decade’s annual average, linked with the severe costs from hurricane
Sandy. In 2012 Meteorological disasters accounted for 31.8% of total reported fatalities, 16.2% of
total victims, and 54.9% of total damages from natural disasters.
Climatological disasters (extreme temperatures, droughts and wildfires) took in 2012 a 23.8% shareof total disaster occurrence, far above the share of 14.9% per year on average for 2002-2011. Outof the 85 climatological disasters, 51 were extreme temperatures, mostly cold waves; 28 droughts
and 6 wildfires. Climatological disasters took the second-largest share of total disaster victims in2012 (36.6 million or 29.4% of total disaster victims), as was also the case for the period 2002-2011.
However, compared to their decade’s annual average, the number of victims from climatologicaldisasters decreased by 64.2%. In 2012, the reported damages from climatological disasters (US$26.6 billion) increased by 148.4% compared to the 2002-2011 annual average damages from these
22 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trendsdisasters (2012 US$ 10.7 billion). Droughts affecting the United States caused US$ 20.0 billion
damages, while four droughts in Ukraine, Russia, Brazil and Italy cost each at least US$ 1 billion. Itshould be noted that reported damages from climatological disasters are often underestimated due
to a lack of standardized methods for quantifying and reporting losses.
In 2012, 32 geophysical disasters (earthquakes/tsunamis, volcanoes and dry mass movements)
were registered, representing a share of 8.9% of total disaster occurrence, very close to its decade’s
annual average of 9.1%. However, deaths from geophysical disasters were extremely low in 2012
and accounted for only 7.5% of total reported deaths from natural disasters, compared to a shareof 63.7% per year on average for 2002-2011. They caused only 2.9 million victims, less than theannual average number of victims from 2001 to 2010 (8.1 million). Geophysical disasters took ashare of 11.8% of total damages caused by natural disasters in 2012, compared to a share of 32.9%
per year on average from 2002 to 2011. In absolute terms, damages decreased from an annual
average of US$ 47.1 billion for 2002-201 to US$ 18.6 billion in 2012.
In 2012, compared to their annual average damages from 2002 to 2011, damages fromclimatological and meteorological disasters increased, while damages from geophysical disasters
decreased and costs of hydrological disasters remained stable. This led to a peculiar distribution ofdamages between disaster sub-groups, which has not been observed in the past decade.

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

23

24 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trendsChapter 4
Regional analysis
 Africa
 Americas
 Asia Europe Oceania

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

25

26 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

4. Regional analysis
In 2012, Asia was most often hit by natural disasters (40.6%), followed by the Americas (22.1%),
Europe (18.2%), Africa (16.0%) and Oceania (3.1%). This regional distribution of disaster occurrence
is comparable to the profile observed from 2001 to 2010 (see Table 5), but all continents except
Europe showed numbers of disasters below their 2002-2011 average. In Europe, in 2012, disasters
occurred three times more than in 2011.
Asia accounted in 2012 for 64.5% of worldwide reported disaster victims, while Africa accounted
for 30.4%. Compared to the annual average number of victims from 2002 to 2011, the number ofvictims in Africa and Oceania increased, whereas fewer victims were reported in the Americas, Asia
and Europe.
Table 5 – Natural disaster occurrence and impacts: regional figures
No. of natural disasters
Climatological 2012
Avg. 2002-11
Geophysical 2012
Avg. 2002-11
Hydrological 2012
Avg. 2002-11
Meteorological 2012
Avg. 2002-11
Total 2012
Avg. 2002-11
No. of victims (millions)
Climatological 2012
Avg. 2002-11
Geophysical 2012
Avg. 2002-11
Hydrological 2012
Avg. 2002-11
Meteorological 2012
Avg. 2002-11
Total 2012
Avg. 2002-11
Damages (2012 US$ bn)
Climatological 2012
Avg. 2002-11
Geophysical 2012
Avg. 2002-11
Hydrological 2012
Avg. 2002-11
Meteorological 2012
Avg. 2002-11
Total 2012
Avg. 2002-11

AfricaAmericas

16
14
0
3
30
46
11
9
57
72
Africa

28.01
23.86
0.00
0.08
9.34
2.08
0.47
0.37
37.82
26.38

12
14
6
7
26
41
35
34
79
95
Americas

1.82
1.36
1.41
0.83
1.54
4.26
0.80
2.19
5.57
8.64

Africa

0.00
0.04
0.00
0.57
0.83
0.31
0.10
0.07
0.93
0.99

Americas

22.46
2.79
0.68
4.08
0.58
3.95
79.67
39.14
103.3849.96

Asia

Europe

12
12
23
22
71
82
39
39
145
156
Asia

6.37
76.80
1.48
7.13
53.52
111.05
18.93
37.05
80.29
232.03

45
17
3
2
16
23
1
14
65
56
Europe

0.45
0.27
0.03
0.01
0.10
0.28
0.00
0.11
0.58
0.66

Oceania

Global

0
1
0
2
7
5
4
7
11
16

85
59
32
36
150
197
90
102
357
394

Oceania

Global

0.00
0.00
0.00
0.07
0.24
0.06
0.02
0.04
0.26
0.17

36.65
102.29
2.91
8.12
64.74
117.71
20.22
39.75
124.52267.88Asia

EuropeOceania

Global

0.02
3.50
2.14
36.73
19.25
13.51
6.56
8.19
27.97
61.93

4.15
2.76
15.80
0.53
4.24
4.73
0.01
3.64
24.20
11.66

0.00
0.39
0.00
2.47
0.70
1.16
0.15
0.77
0.85
4.78

26.63
9.49
18.62
44.36
25.61
23.66
86.48
51.81
157.34129.33

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

27

The Americas suffered the most damages in 2012 (65.7% of worldwide natural disaster damages),followed by Asia (17.8%) and Europe (15.4%). A share of 0.6% of global disaster damages wasreported for Africa and of 0.5% for Oceania. This distribution of disaster damages between
continents is different from the one observed over the last decade, where Asia had the mostdamages, followed by the Americas and Europe. Damages in the Americas increased from anannual average of US$ 56.5 billion from 2002-2011 to US$ 103.4 billion in 2012, mostly due to two
disasters which occurred in the U.S.A: hurricane Sandy and the drought in the South-Western and
Mid-West regions. However, damages in Europe also increased from an annual average of US$ 13.5
billion during 2002-2011 to US$ 24.2 billion in 2011. On the other side, in 2012 compared to theannual average for 2002-2011, damages decreased by 83% in Oceania, by 58% in Asia and by 21%
in Africa.

4.1 Africa
The distribution of disaster frequency in Africa in 2012 presented a similar profile to the one seen
over the last decade. Hydrological disasters represented 52.6% of occurrence, followed byclimatological (28.1%) and meteorological disasters (19.3%). No geophysical disasters wererecorded in 2012.
However, the number of victims increased in 2012 by 43.4% compared to the annual average
number of disaster victims in Africa during 2002-2011, due to the impact of climatological andhydrological disasters. The number of reported climatological disaster victims in 2012 (28 million)
surpassed their 2002-2011 annual average (23.9 million) and the number of reported hydrologicaldisaster victims (9.3 million) was far above their 2002-2011 annual average (2.1 million). Droughts
and food crises made one million victims or more in Angola, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya,
Malawi, Mali, Niger, Sudan, Tanzania and Zimbabwe caused 25.3 million victims, with one flood in
Nigeria causing 7 million alone. These twelve disasters represent 85% of the total of victims in
Africa in 2012.
The estimation of natural disaster damages in Africa remains extremely challenging as data areoften poorly reported or lacking altogether. In 2012, like in previous years, no damages forclimatological disasters in Africa were reported. Reported damages from hydrological disasters (US$0.83 billion) increased in 2012 compared to their annual average reported damages during 2002 to2011 (US$ 0.3 billion) and reported damages from meteorological disasters (US$ 0.1 billion)
surpassed also their 2002-2012 average (0.07 billion).

4.2 Americas
The Americas suffered in 2012 from 79 natural disasters. Hydrological disasters (32.9%) andmeteorological disasters (44.3%) occurred most often, followed by climatological (15.2%) andgeophysical (7.6%) disasters. Compared to their occurrence in the decade 2002-2011,
meteorological disasters were more frequent in 2012 and hydrological disasters less frequent.
In 2012, the total number of victims from natural disasters decreased by 35.5% compared their
2002-2011 annual average. But the figure was contrasted. While the numbers of victims fromhydrological and meteorological disasters decreased, both, by more than 63% compared to their
2002-2011 annual average, the number of climatological and geophysical disaster victims increased
by, respectively, 33% and 70%. Climatological disasters in 2012 caused 32.6% of total disastervictims in the Americas, whereas a share of 15.7% per year on average was observed from 2002 to
2011. Victims of geophysical amounted to 25.3% of the total numbers of victims versus a 200228 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

2011 average of 9.6%. Inversely, meteorological disasters in 2012 were responsible for 27.6% of
total disaster victims in the Americas, compared to a share of 49.3% per year on average during thepast decade. For meteorological disasters the proportion of victims in 2012 (14.4%) is also far
below its 2002-2011 annual average of 25.4%.
In 2012, disaster damages in the Americas (US$ 103.4 billion) more than doubled compared to theannual average damages from 2002 to 2011 (US$ 50 billion). This increase was mostly due todamages from meteorological and climatological disasters. Damages reported for meteorologicaldisasters in the Americas in 2012 (US$ 79.7 billion) were the highest since 2005, hurricane Katrina’syear(US$ 169.8 billion) and were mostly due to hurricane Sandy which affected the United States
and cost US$ 50.0 billion. The US$ 22 billion damages due to climatological disasters is ten times
higher than their 2002-2011 annual average (US$ 2.8 billion) and largely explained by the drought
which affected the South-Western and Mid-West regions of the United States and cost US$ 20
billion.
In contrast, reported damages from geophysical disasters (US$ 0.68 billion) and from hydrologicaldisasters (US$ 0.58 billion) appear to have been very limited when compared to their 2002-2011
annual average (US$ 4.1 and 4.0 billion, respectively). Meteorological disasters accounted for thelargest share of disaster damages in the Americas in 2012 (77.1%), similar to the share of 78.4% peryear on average from 2002 to 2011. Compared to its last decade annual average of 5.6 %, the shareof climatological damages was fourfold higher.

4.3 Asia
The number of disasters in Asia in 2012 (145) was similar to their number in 2011 (147), but below
the annual average disaster occurrence during 2002-2011 (156). In particular, less hydrologicaldisasters were reported in 2012 (71), compared to the annual average occurrences from 2002 to2011 (82). Numbers of all other disaster types were similar to their 2002-2011 annual average. In
2012, 49.0% of disasters were hydrological disasters, 26.9% meteorological and 15.9% geophysical,
while climatological disasters accounted for 8.3% of total disaster occurrence in Asia. These
proportions do not differ significantly from the annual averages.
The number of victims in Asia in 2012 (80.3 million) was far below the 2002-2011 annual average(232.0 million). Compared to their annual averages for this period, the number of victims in Asia
decreased in 2012 by 91.7% for climatological disasters, 79.3% for geophysical disasters, 51.8% forhydrological disasters and 48.9% for meteorological disasters. Hydrological disasters represented
66.6% of total disaster victims in Asia in 2012, followed by meteorological (23.6%), climatological(7.9%), and geophysical (1.8%) disasters.
In Asia, 14 disasters – 8 floods, 3 typhoons, 2 droughts and one food shortage - made more than
one million victims each, for a total of 72.7 million or 90.5% of all Asian victims. Fifty-six percent ofvictims lived in China, 15.6% in the Philippines, 7.1% in Bangladesh, 6.3% in Pakistan and 5.3% inIndia.
Disaster damages in Asia in 2012 (US$ 28.0 billion) were below their annual average for years 2002
to 2011 (US$ 61.9 billion). At a global level, Asia’s share of global damages in 2012 (17.8%) was
largely below its annual average (47.9%) and the lowest since 2005 (12.7%). Only damages fromhydrological disasters increased from an annual average of US$ 13.5 billion during 2002-2011 to
US$ 19.3 billion in 2012, mostly due to floods in China which made damages estimated at US$ 15
billion. Reported damages from climatogical disasters decreased by 99.4% compared to their
Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

29annual average for 2002-2011, those from geophysical disasters decreased by 94.2% and damages
from meteorological disasters by almost 20%. Typhoons and tropical storms made damages of US$
3 billion in China and of 1.7 billion in the Philippines. These two countries amounted for 71% ofreported meteorological damages.
In 2012, hydrological disasters took a share of 68.8% of total damages in Asia, followed bymeteorological (23.4%), geophysical (7.7%) and climatological (0.1%) disasters, compared to an
average share per year of 21.8% (hydrological), 13.2% (meteorological), 59.3% (geophysical), and5.7% (climatological) from 2002 to 2011.

4.4 Europe
The number of reported disasters in Europe (65) was above the annual average disaster occurrence
from 2002 to 2011 (56). This is largely due to cold waves and extreme winter conditions which
affected most European countries in the beginning of the year. The number of such climatologicaldisasters (45) is almost three times superior to its annual average for years 2002-2011 (17).
Inversely, 2012 shows a strong decrease in the number of hydrological disasters (16), compared toan annual average of 23. Such decrease is still more pronounced for meteorological disasters: only
one was reported in 2012 – the lowest number ever reported since years 1990 - compared to anannual average of 14 in years 2002-2011. Therefore, compared to the previous decade, 2012
appears, in Europe, as an atypical year, with disasters occurring in proportions distinctly different
from those of previous years.
In 2012, the decrease in the number of victims (0.58 million) compared to their 2002-2011 annual
average (0.66 million) is largely explained by the decrease of their number in meteorologicaldisasters (-99.7% in 2012 compared to the 2002-2011 annual average) and in hydrological disasters(-62.2%). In contrast, compared to annual average of the years 2002-2011, the number of victims ofgeophysical disasters increased of 76.6% and of climatological disasters of 68.2%. Two earthquakes
in Emilia-Romagna and in the Ferrare region made 14,367 and 11,057 victims, respectively. Extreme
winter conditions made 230,005 victims in Albania and 18,243 in Serbia. Cold waves made 87,612
victims in Ukraine, 70,010 in Serbia and 10,351 in Bosnia-Hercegovenia. These five climatologicaldisasters account for 71.7% of the total of victims of disasters in Europe.
Whereas per year on average from 2002 to 2011, hydrological disasters took the largest share of
total disaster victims in Europe (41.5%), followed by climatological (40.3%), meteorological (16.0%)
and geophysical (2.2%) disasters, in 2012 the picture is different. Climatological disasters took thelargest share (77.6%) and hydrological disasters took a share of 18.0%, only followed by geophysicaldisasters with 4.4% and meteorolological disasters with 0.1%.
Damages from natural disasters in Europe in 2012 (US$ 24.2 billion) were the highest of thedecade, more than two times the annual average damages for 2002-2011 (US$ 11.7 billion), largely
explained by the cost associated with the Ferrare region earthquake in Italia (US$ 15.8 billion)
which is the highest cost ever reported in Europe for a geophysical disaster since the year 1990 andis thirty times higher than the 2002-2011 annual damages average for such disasters. The costs
associated with the other Italian earthquake are, actually, not reported. Damages fromclimatological disasters (US$ 4.2 billion) are 1.5 higher than the 2002-2011 annual damages averagefor these disasters and are explained by damages from three droughts in Ukraine (US$ 1.7 billion),
Italia (US$ 1.2 billion) and Russia (US$ 1.1 billion). Damages from hydrological disasters (US$ 4.2
billion) are close to their 2002-2011 annual average (US$ 4.7 billion) and are largely explained byfour floods in the United Kingdom which cost a total of US$ 2.9 billion or 69% of all damages
30 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trendscaused by hydrological disasters. The damage arising from the only meteorological disaster
reported in Europe in 2012 is directly attributable to a tornado which occurred in Poland and cost
US$ 0.006 billion.

4.5 Oceania
In 2012, the number of disasters (11) was largely below their 2002-2011 annual average (16). Noneclimatological and geophysical disasters were reported. Seven hydrological – higher than the 20022011 annual average of 5 – and 4 meteorological disasters – lower than their annual average of 7 –were reported.
Number of victims of natural disasters in 2012 in Oceania (258,330) is higher than its 2002-2011
annual average reported in 2011 (165,776). This number is, for the most part, explained by a floodin Papua New Guinea which made 200,000 victims; the highest number of victims of flood in
Oceania since the flood which made 175,000 victims in Australia in 2010. Two other floods in the
Fiji Islands and Australia which made 14,989 and 13,002 victims, respectively, explain the overrepresentation of hydrological disasters victims in Oceania. The number of meteorological disasters(17,865) is lower than his 2002-2011 annual average (40,143) and almost entirely attributable tothe cyclone Evan which made 8,402 victims in the Fiji Islands, 7,751 in Samoa and 1,212 in Wallis
and Futuna or 97.2% of all victims of meteorological disasters.
In 2011, disaster damages in Oceania (US$ 854 million) are largely below their 2002-2011 annual
average (US$ 4,780 million). Hydrological disasters took the largest share of damages (US$ 704
million), lower than their 2002-2011 average of US$ 1,156 million. Two floods in Australia cost US$
588 million or 83.5% of damages from these disasters. The costs of meteorological disasters (US$151 million) are also largely below their previous decade annual average (US$ 768 million). The
cyclone Evan is the main cause of these costs, making damages for US$ 133.0 million in Samoa and
US$ 8.4 million in the Fiji Islands. A tornado in New Zealand made also damages of US$ 9.1 million.
A comparison between continents of the occurrence and impacts of natural disasters in 2012 isshown in Maps 1, 2 and 3. Geophysical, hydrological and meteorological disasters were mostfrequent in Asia (71.9%, 47.3% and 43.3% respectively) but meteorological disasters were alsofrequent in the Americas (38.9%). Climatological disasters occurred most often in Europe (53.6%).
The human impact, measured in terms of the number of victims, was essentially concentrated in
Asia, with shares of 93.6%, 82.7% and 50.7% for meteorological, hydrological and geophysical,
disasters respectively. Geophysical disasters are also frequent in the Americas (48.4%). Victims ofclimatological disasters are most often reported in Africa (75.3%). The highest proportion ofdamages from meteorological (92.1%) and climatological (84.3%) disasters occurred in theAmericas. Most damages from geophysical disasters occurred in Europe (84.9%) and fromhydrological disasters in Asia (75.2%).

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

31Map 1 – Percent share of reported occurrence by disaster sub-group and continent in 2012

Map 2 – Percent share of reported victims by disaster sub-group and continent in 2012*32 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trendsMap 3 – Percent share of reported economic damages by disaster sub-group and continent in2012**Percentages ≤ 0.05 are displayed as zeros

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

3334 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

ANNEX 1: Definitions16
Avalanche: Avalanche describes a quantity of snow or ice that slides down amountainside under the force of gravity. It occurs if the load on the upper snow
layers exceeds the bonding forces of the entire mass of snow. It often gathers
material that is underneath the snowpack like soil, rock etc. (debris avalanche).
Any kind of rapid snow/ice movement.



Biological Disasters: Disasters caused by the exposure of living organisms togerms and toxic substances.




Climatological Disasters: Events caused by long-lived/meso to macro scale
processes (in the spectrum from intraseasonal to multidecadal climate
variability).





Cold wave: A cold wave can be both a prolonged period of excessively cold
weather and the sudden invasion of very cold air over a large area. Along with
frost it can cause damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and property. Damage
caused by low temperatures.

Drought: Long-lasting event triggered by a lack of precipitation. A drought is anextended period of time characterized by a deficiency in a region's water supply
that is the result of constantly below average precipitation. A drought can lead tolosses in agriculture, affect inland navigation and hydropower plants, and cause alack of drinking water and famine.

Earthquake: Shaking and displacement of ground due to seismic waves. This is
the earthquake itself without secondary effects. An earthquake is the result of asudden release of stored energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves.
They can be of tectonic or volcanic origin. At the Earth's surface they are felt as ashaking or displacement of the ground. The energy released in the hypocentercan be measured in different frequency ranges. Therefore there are different
scales for measuring the magnitude of a quake according to a certain frequency
range. These are: a) surface wave magnitude (Ms); b) body wave magnitude(Mb); c) local magnitude (ML); d) moment magnitude (Mw).

16

These definitions have been established by MünichRe/Geo Risks Research Department and CRED. More information
on definitions can be found on the EM-DAT website in the “Glossary” section.

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

35



Epidemic: Either an unusual increase in the number of cases of an infectious
disease that already exists in the region or population concerned, or theappearance of an infection disease previously absent from a region.

Extreme winter condition: Damage caused by snow and ice. Winter damagerefers to damage to buildings, infrastructure, traffic (especially navigation)
inflicted by snow and ice in the form of snow pressure, freezing rain, frozen
waterways, etc.

Flash flood: Rapid inland floods due to intense rainfall. A flash flood describes
sudden flooding with short duration. In sloped terrains the water flows rapidly
with a high destruction potential. In flat terrains the rainwater cannot infiltrate
into the ground or run off (due to small slope) as quickly as it falls. Flash floods
typically are associated with thunderstorms. A flash flood can occur at virtually
any place.





Flood: Significant rise of water level in a stream, lake, reservoir or coastal region.

Forest fire: Fires in forests that cover extensive damage. They may start bynatural causes such as volcanic eruptions or lightning, or they may be caused byarsonists or careless smokers, by those burning wood, or by clearing a forest
area.

General flood: Gradually rising inland floods (rivers, lakes, groundwater) due tohigh total depth of rainfall or snowmelt. A general flood is caused when a bodyof water (river, lake) overflows its normal confines due to rising water levels. The
term general flood additionally comprises the accumulation of water on thesurface due to long-lasting rainfall (water logging) and the rise of thegroundwater table above surface. Furthermore, inundation by melting snow andice, backwater effects, and special causes such as the outburst of a glacial lake or
the breaching of a dam are subsumed under the term general flood. Generalfloods can be expected at certain locations (e.g. along rivers) with a significantly
higher probability than at others.



36 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trendsGeophysical disasters: Events originating from solid earth.

Heat wave: A heat wave is a prolonged period of excessively hot and sometimes
also humid weather relative to normal climate patterns of a certain region.





Hydrological Disasters: Events caused by deviations in the normal water cycle
and/or overflow of bodies of water caused by wind set-up.
Insect infestation: Pervasive influx and development of insects or parasites
affecting humans, animals, crops and materials.

Landslide: Any kind of moderate to rapid soil movement including lahar,
mudslide and debris flow. A landslide is the movement of soil or rock controlled
by gravity and the speed of the movement usually ranges between slow andrapid. It can be superficial or deep, but the materials have to make up a massthat is a portion of the slope or the slope itself. The movement has to be
downward and outward with a free face.



Local Windstorm (orographic storm): Local windstorm refers to strong winds
caused by regional atmospheric phenomena which are typical for a certain area.
These can be katabatic winds, foehn winds, Mistral, Bora etc.



Meteorological disasters: Events caused by short-lived/small to meso scaleatmospheric processes (in the spectrum from minutes to days).

Rockfall: Quantities of rock or stone falling freely from a cliff face. It is caused byundercutting, weathering or permafrost degradation.

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

37

Storm surge: Coastal flood on coasts and lake shores induced by wind. A storm
surge is the rise of the water level in the sea, an estuary or lake as result ofstrong wind driving the seawater towards the coast. This so-called wind setup issuperimposed on the normal astronomical tide. The mean high water level canbe exceeded by five and more metres. The areas threatened by storm surges arecoastal lowlands.

Subsidence: Downward motion of the Earth's surface relative to a datum (e.g.
the sea level). Dry subsidence can be the result of geological faulting, isostatic
rebound, human impact (e.g. mining, extraction of natural gas). Wet subsidence
can be the result of karst, changes in soil water saturation, permafrost
degradation (thermokarst), etc.

Tropical cyclone: A tropical cyclone is a non-frontal storm system that ischaracterized by a low pressure centre, spiral rain bands and strong winds.
Usually it originates over tropical or sub-tropical waters and rotates clockwise in
the southern hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere.
The system is fuelled by heat released when moist air rises and the water vapour
it contains condenses ("warm core" storm system). Therefore the watertemperature must be >27°C. Depending on their location and strength, tropical
cyclones are referred to as hurricane (western Atlantic/eastern Pacific), typhoon(western Pacific), cyclone (southern Pacific/Indian Ocean), tropical storm, andtropical depression (defined by wind speed; see Saffir-Simpson-Scale). Cyclones
in tropical areas are called hurricanes, typhoons and tropical depressions (names
depending on location).

Volcanic eruption: All volcanic activity like rock fall, ash fall, lava streams, gases
etc. Volcanic activity describes both the transport of magma and/or gases to the
Earth's surface, which can be accompanied by tremors and eruptions, and theinteraction of magma and water (e.g. groundwater, crater lakes) underneath the
Earth's surface, which can result in phreatic eruptions. Depending on thecomposition of the magma, eruptions can be explosive and effusive and result invariations of rock fall, ash fall, lava streams, pyroclastic flows, emission of gases
etc.




Wildfire: Wildfire describes an uncontrolled burning fire, usually in wild lands,
which can cause damage to forestry, agriculture, infrastructure and buildings.

38 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

ANNEX 2: List of countries per continent
AFRICA
Algeria
AngolaBenin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
BurundiCameroon
Cape VerdeCentral African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Congo
Cote d’Ivoire
Democratic Republic of Congo
Djibouti
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gabon

GambiaGhana
GuineaGuinea-Bissau
Kenya
LesothoLiberia
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Madagascar
MalawiMali
Mauritania
Mauritius
MayotteMoroccoMozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
ReunionRwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
SomaliaSouth Africa
South Sudan
St. Helena
Sudan
Swaziland
Togo
Tunisia
UgandaUnited Republic of Tanzania
Western Sahara
ZambiaZimbabwe

AMERICAS
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Aruba
BahamasBarbados
BelizeBermudaBolivia
BrazilBritish Virgin Islands
CanadaCayman Islands
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica

Dominican Republic
EcuadorEl Salvador
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
French Guiana
Greenland
GrenadaGuadeloupe
Guatemala
GuyanaHaiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Martinique
MexicoMontserrat
Netherlands Antilles
Nicaragua

PanamaParaguay
Peru
Puerto Rico
St. Barthélemy
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Martin (French part)
St. Pierre and Miquelon
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands
Uruguay
Venezuela
United States of America
United States Virgin Islands

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

39

ASIA
Afghanistan
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
BhutanBrunei Darussalam
Cambodia
China
CyprusGeorgia
Hong Kong (China)
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
IsraelJapan

JordanKazakhstan
Korea (Dem Rep)
Korea (Rep)
KuwaitKyrgyzstan
Laos
LebanonMacau (China)
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
Palestine (West Bank)
Oman
Pakistan
Philippines

Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Syrian Arab Republic
Taiwan (China)
Tajikistan
Thailand
Timor-Leste
TurkeyTurkmenistan
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Viet Nam
Yemen

EUROPE
Aland Islands
Albania
AndorraAustria
BelarusBelgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Channel Islands
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Faroe Islands
FinlandFranceGermany
Gibraltar

GreeceGuernsey
Holy See
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
JerseyLatviaLiechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia, FYR
Malta
Man, Isle of
Moldova
MonacoMontenegro

Netherlands
NorwayPolandPortugal
Romania
Russian Federation
San Marino
SerbiaSlovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands
SwedenSwitzerland
UkraineUnited Kingdom

40 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

OCEANIA
American Samoa
Australia
Cook Islands
Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
French Polynesia
Guam
Kiribati
Marshall Islands

Nauru
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Niue
Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Pitcairn

Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tokelau
Tonga
TuvaluVanuatu
Wallis and Futuna

Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

4142 Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2012 – The numbers and trends

Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters
Institute of Health and Society (IRSS)
Université catholique de Louvain
Clos Chapelle-aux-Champs, 30 - B1.30.15
1200 Brussels –Belgium
Phone: +32 (0)2.764.33.27 Fax: +32 (0)2.764.34.41
E-mail: contact@cred.be URL: www.cred.be

Copyright © 2013

The EM-DAT project gratefully acknowledges support from
USAID/OFDA