India, ranked 9th among countries most affected by extreme weather (1995–2024), according to Germanwatch’s Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2026, released at COP30 (Belem, Brazil, Nov 2025).

Key Findings

• South-South Vulnerability: All top ten most affected countries (1995–2024) are from the Global South.
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was the worst affected in 2024, followed by Grenada and Chad.
• Persistent Threat: Countries like India, Philippines, Nicaragua, and Haiti are categorized as “continuous threats,” meaning they face frequent, repeated extreme weather, making recovery challenging.
  • They are hit by floods, heatwaves, or storms so regularly that entire regions can hardly recover from the impacts until the next event strikes.
• Unusually Extreme weather Events: Dominica, Myanmar, Honduras, and Libya are placed at an even higher risk because they experience unusually extreme weather events. 
• Global Death Toll: Over 832,000 killed by 9,700 extreme weather events worldwide (1995–2024).
  • Cyclone Nargis, which hit Myanmar in 2008, was one of the worst disasters in the last three decades, killing around 1,40,000 people and accounting for more than 95% of fatalities in the country in this period.
• Economic Losses: Over $4.5 trillion globally due to these events in the same period.
  • In 2024 alone, floods affected almost 50 million people globally, followed by heatwaves (33 million) and droughts (over 29 million).

India-Specific Findings

• India ranks ninth overall for most affected countries (1995–2024), and ranked 15th in 2024.
• Frequency: India endured around 430 extreme weather events in the last 30 years, impacting over a billion people.
• Economic Impact: Cumulative inflation-adjusted losses of approximately $170 billion.
• Fatalities: More than 80,000 people killed in these events.
• Major events:
  • 1993 floods in several northern states (Punjab, Haryana, etc)(925 killed).
  • 1998 Gujarat cyclone (1,173), 
  • 1998 heatwave in several parts of the country (Odisha, Bihar, etc.) (2,800 Fatalities)
  • 1999 Odisha super cyclone (9,885), 2002–03 
  • Other Extreme Weather Events: heatwaves, 2013 Uttarakhand floods (5,000), 2015 heatwave (2,000+), 2019 floods & cyclones, 2020 Cyclone Amphan, etc
• 2024 monsoon: Particularly severe, affecting over 8 million people, largely in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tripura.
• In 2024, India ranked third globally for people most affected by extreme weather (after Bangladesh and the Philippines).
• Continuous Threats: India struggles to recover between disasters, with cumulative impact worsening due to high frequency of floods, heatwaves, and cyclones.
• The report also highlights gaps in data for the Global South, implying India’s actual impacts may be underreported.

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About Climate Risk Index (CRI)

• Definition: The CRI is an analytical index by Germanwatch that ranks countries based on human and economic impacts of extreme weather events (EWE).
• Genesis: Published annually since 2006, the CRI uses data from Munich Re NatCatSERVICE and IMF.
  • Not a binding UN index, but widely cited in UNFCCC and IPCC discussions.
• Criteria/Method:
  • Based on fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants and economic losses (in PPP USD).
  • Focuses on rapid-onset events — floods, storms, heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, glacial lake outbursts.
  • Excludes slow-onset events like sea-level rise or ocean acidification.
• Purpose: Indicates climate vulnerability and loss and damage exposure; used to push for climate finance and adaptation measures under COP negotiations.
• Implications: India is in the “continuous threats” category (with Philippines, Haiti, Nicaragua), meaning recurring disasters prevent recovery. 
  • The CRI ranking strengthens India’s claim for loss and damage funding at COP30.

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