Overview

• The study logged 142 flood disasters last year, making floods the second-most frequent trigger after storms with 147 events.
• Researchers cite climate change, rapid urbanization and land-use changes as the core drivers of rising inundation risk.
• The burden falls largely on low- and middle-income countries, with 89% of affected people living there, while Africa shows the highest vulnerability.
• In the Weltrisikoindex, the Philippines ranks most at risk, followed by India and Indonesia; Germany places 95th of 193 countries.
• The authors call for stronger early-warning systems, use of traditional knowledge and protection of wetlands and mangroves, while warning that cuts to data programs in the UK, France and the US, including the dissolution of USAID, could erode future assessments.