South Asia is the most flood-prone region, with almost 40% of its inhabitants susceptible to inland flooding and just over 5% at risk from coastal flooding at the 100-year return period level
London: As the Southeastern US and central Europe contend with the aftermath of unprecedented flooding, a new Moody’s white paper reveals that 2.7 billion people – more than one-third of the global population – reside in areas vulnerable to inland or coastal flooding.
The paper, which analyses flood risk from 1975 out to 2030, includes key findings such as:
-The proportion of people exposed to flood risk has steadily increased since 1975, driven by factors such as the rising frequency and severity of flooding events due to climate change, urbanization, and land-use practices.
-Approximately 260 million people are exposed to risk from coastal flooding at the 100-year return period – over 70% of those individuals live in just 5 countries.
-South Asia is the most flood-prone region, with almost 40% of its inhabitants susceptible to inland flooding and just over 5% at risk from coastal flooding at the 100-year return period level. Oceania is the least-exposed region to inland flooding with just under 17% of its population at risk; the Europe & North Asia region is least exposed to coastal flooding.
-The top two individual countries with the highest percentage of population exposed to inland flooding are Suriname and Guyana, in Latin America.
-At the 100-year return period, 25% of the global population exposed to inland floods is protected by flood defenses, and 36% for coastal floods.
“Flooding is a pervasive and recurrent natural hazard that has far-reaching consequences for both human communities and the environment,” states the Moody’s report. “As flooding continues to pose a growing threat, understanding the populations most vulnerable to its effects is paramount for effective disaster management and mitigation efforts.”