Disaster Figures for 2007: Asia continues to be hit hardest by disasters (PDF; 73 KB)
Source: Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)

2007 saw a marked increase in the number of floods compared with the average of the last seven years, and Asia was the continent hit hardest by disasters according to figures released today by the Belgian WHO collaborating Center for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED). The yearly figures were released today in a press conference co- organized by the secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster reduction (UN/ISDR) in Geneva.

Eight out of the 10 countries with the highest disaster deaths of 2007 were in Asia, with 4,234 killed in Bangladesh by cyclone Sidr last November, and more than 3,000 fatalities from severe floods in Bangladesh, India, North Korea and China.

Despite the record number of deaths in Asia, deaths due to disasters in 2007 were lower than the 2000-2006 yearly average, a period which included at least five major disasters of unusual impact. In 2007, some 16,517 people were killed compared to the average 73,931 between 2000 and 2006.

However, the number of people affected by disasters continued to increase and floods remain the main disaster that affects populations in the world. More than 164 million people were affected by floods in 2007 out of the 197 million affected by disasters and half of them were caused by the June-July floods in China.

+ 2007 Disasters in Numbers (PDF; 145 KB)
+ PowerPoint slides (2 MB)

See also: Disaster Data: A Balanced Perspective (PDF: 648 KB)

See also: Annual Disaster Statistical Review: Numbers and Trends 2006 (PDF; 4.34 MB)

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