Natural disasters caused losses of u$s 224 billion worldwide in 2025, according to the German reinsurer Munich Re.
The analysis emphasizes that 92% of these damages were due to the climate, in a year described as “alarming” because of the floods, severe storms, and wildfires.
Of the total economic losses, u$s 108 billion were insured, the study adds on a point that concerns the sector.
Despite the high number, damages from natural disasters in 2025 still decreased by 39% compared to the previous year, when they reached u$s 368 billion.
More importantly, these catastrophes claimed the lives of 17,200 people worldwide.
This figure was “significantly higher” than the 11,000 deaths recorded in 2024, although it remained below the average of the last 10 and 30 years.
An alarming climate outlook
According to the reinsurer, the outlook in 2025 was “alarming regarding the floods, severe storms, and wildfires“.
Scientists agree that these natural disasters are becoming more severe and frequent in many parts of the world.
In particular, just these three climatic events caused losses of u$s 166 billion.
The Los Angeles fires, among the most costly natural disasters
The fires in the Los Angeles area, United States, were the most costly natural disaster of the year 2025.
There, the flames caused losses of u$s 53 billion, of which u$s 40 billion were insured.
It is the “most expensive fire in history” so far, according to Munich Re.
The disaster, which occurred a year ago, claimed the lives of 30 people and left unprecedented devastation in the California region.
The second most severe natural disaster was the earthquake of magnitude 7.7 in Myanmar.
This seismic event killed 4,500 people and caused losses of u$s 12 billion, although only a small part was insured.
An unusual tropical cyclone season
Meanwhile, tropical cyclones caused u$s 37 billion in global losses in 2025.
Of this total, about u$s 6 billion were insured, which is significantly lower than the 10 and 30-year averages.
The reduction was largely due to no hurricane making landfall in the United States during the year.
In 2025, three category five hurricanes formed in the northern tropical Atlantic. This number represents the highest since 2005, when Katrina devastated New Orleans and became one of the most costly natural disasters of all time.
The hurricane Melissa, meanwhile, stood out as one of the strongest to make landfall since records began.
The phenomenon slowly moved through the Caribbean and caused devastating destruction in Jamaica, also severely affecting Cuba.
There, the total losses reached u$s 9.8 billion. Of this amount, only u$s 3 billion were insured, leaving thousands of families without coverage to rebuild.
In the Pacific, Japan largely escaped typhoons. However, these phenomena affected Southeast Asia more than usual, including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and China, with severe floods in several countries in the region.
