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Executive Summary
In 2023,1 the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) recorded a total of 399 disasters related to natural hazards.2 These events resulted in 86,473 fatalities and affected 93.1 million people. The economic losses amounted to US$202.7 billion. The 2023 earthquake in Türkiye and the Syrian Arab Republic was the most catastrophic event of the year in terms of mortality and economic damage, with 56,683 reported deaths and damage worth US$42.9 billion damage. This earthquake impacted an estimated 18 million people, a total for both countries, making it the second most impactful event in terms of affected individuals. The first was the 2023 Indonesian Drought, which affected 18.8 million people from June to September 2023.
In the year under review there was a high level of disaster mortality, with a total of 86,473 deaths, exceeding the 20-year average of 64,148 deaths and the median value of 19,290 deaths 3 for the same period, mainly due to the dramatic earthquake in Türkiye and Syria in February 2023, counting for two-thirds of the EMDAT total deaths. The number of individuals affected by disasters, 93.1 million, is below the 2003-2022 annual average of 175.5 million. The difference is mainly due to the relatively low number of new significant droughts. It is important to note that some events are still ongoing, so reports on droughts might be incomplete, making the current statistics provisional. The annual analysis highlights seasonal droughts beginning in 2023 but excludes ongoing multiyear droughts, such as the severe and long-lasting Horn of Africa Drought. Furthermore, the report probably underestimates the mortality from heat waves and the number of heatwave events in 2023. Awaiting further information, the EM-DAT validation for the 2023 European heat waves remains incomplete, as it may well omit several high-mortality events. This issue is addressed in a section of the report dedicated to this issue.
In terms of economic losses, the reported figure of US$ 202.7 billion is slightly higher than the EM-DAT 2003-2022 annual average of US$196.3 billion. Notably, only one-third of disasters covered in this report for the 2003-2022 period benefit from documented total economic damage, with a remarkably lower reporting percentage of 12% for Africa. This discrepancy underscores, once again, the critical need to enhance global efforts in the evaluation, reporting, and dissemination of economic loss data resulting from disasters.
In Türkiye, a sequence of earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.8 Mw and 7.5 Mw on February 6 led to 50,783 casualties and affected approximately 9.2 million people. In the Syrian Arab Republic, reports indicate 5,900 deaths and 8.8 million people affected by this disaster. The total economic damage is currently estimated to be at least US$34 billion for Türkiye and US$8.9 billion for Syria. Additionally, two other seismic events are among the Top 10 deadliest disasters. On September 8, a magnitude 6.8 Mw earthquake in the High Atlas Mountain Region, southwest of Marrakesh, Morocco, resulted in 2,946 fatalities and economic losses estimated at US$7 billion. In Western Afghanistan, an earthquake on October 7 in the Herat province led to 2,445 reported fatalities.
As far as severe storm events are concerned, Storm Daniel struck Libya in September, causing floods that led to 12,352 casualties – including 8,000 missing persons – and economic losses of US$6.2 billion. This event was the second deadliest disaster of 2023, after the Türkiye and Syria Earthquake. Earlier in the year, Cyclone Freddy passed through Madagascar, Mozambique, and Malawi. The greatest impact was in Malawi, resulting in 1,209 fatalities and affecting 2.3 million individuals. Typhoon Doksuri, occurring at the end of July, hit the Philippines, followed by China where economic losses are estimated to be US$25 billion, making it the second most expensive disaster in 2023. There was also severe flooding in India due to Cyclone Michaung at the beginning of December, affecting 4.4 million people. In the Americas, two storms had notable economic impacts. In early March, the United States was hit by a storm that brought tornado outbreaks, strong winds, and floods, causing estimated costs of US$6 billion and 13 fatalities. Lastly, in October, Tropical Storm Otis in Mexico affected one million people, caused 104 fatalities, and resulted in damage worth US$12 billion, making it the costliest storm disaster ever recorded in Mexico.
Regarding the most prominent floods, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo there was severe flooding and landslides in May due to torrential rainfall in South Kivu province. The death toll, which remains uncertain, is currently estimated at 2,970, with 470 confirmed deaths and thousands missing. In North-East Nigeria, floods in October resulted in 275 fatalities. In December, Somalia experienced torrential rains during its rainy season, affecting approximately 2.5 million individuals, while a flood in the United Republic of Tanzania impacted 2.9 million people. In January, the Philippines were struck by nationwide floods and landslides, resulting in 52 deaths and affecting 2.1 million individuals. Monsoon floods also struck Pakistan and India from April to July, with India recording at least 1529 fatalities and 10.2 million people affected between June and September 2023. In addition, Yemen experienced a prolonged and intense annual rainy season between March and September 2023, with 248 reported deaths during this period. In Guatemala, heavy rainfall from May onward led to significant flooding and landslides, affecting over 4.4 million people and causing 78 deaths. In Europe, the mid-May floods in the Emilia-Romagna region resulted in 15 casualties and were among the costliest floods of 2023, with economic damage estimated at US$9.8 billion.
Regarding drought-related events, Indonesia’s dry season – from May to October – severely impacted approximately 18.8 million residents. In the United States of America, the Southern and Midwestern regions experienced a significant drought, coupled with a heat wave, which was recorded as the costliest event of 2023 in the USA, with damage evaluated at US$14.5 billion. Additionally, in August, the Lahaina Wildfire on Maui Island in Hawaii was identified as one of the Top 10 costliest disasters, with economic losses amounting to US$5.5 billion.
