Two weeks after Hurricane Ian, hundreds of homes in central Florida were still submerged in floodwater, and expected to remain that way for weeks.
Florida has 3.5 million people at risk of coastal flooding, and by 2050, an additional 1.1 million people are projected to be at risk due to sea level rise, according to statesatrisk.org. Many Floridians who suffered extensive flooding did not carry a separate flood insurance policy to cover the damage, NBC News reports.
Research exploring the economic consequences of water risk fueled by climate change through 2050 predicts that droughts, floods and storms could wipe $5.6 trillion from the gross domestic product of key economies, according to a report by GHD, a global engineering and architectural professional services company.
A 2022 report in Nature finds that 1.81 billion people (23% of the world’s population) are directly exposed to 1-in-100-year floods. Floods are among the leading threats to people’s livelihoods and affect development prospects worldwide, and several ongoing trends could result in significant increases in flood risks in coming years, the report says.
The majority of the people most vulnerable to the risk of flooding around the world are located in South and East Asia, where China (395 million) and India (390 million) account for over one-third of global exposure, the Nature study found.
To determine the countries most vulnerable to flood risk, researchers who published the study, Flood exposure and poverty in 188 countries, in Nature presented results from a high-resolution global exposure assessment for 188 countries using flood data based on latest generation terrain and hydrographic models.
Some of these countries are developed nations, others are emerging markets that represent some of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Low- and middle-income countries are home to 89% of the world’s flood-exposed people. Of the 170 million facing high flood risk and extreme poverty (living on under $1.90 per day), 44% are in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The list includes both the absolute population exposed to flood risk as well as the percentage of population in each country, and is listed in order of percentage.
1. Netherlands
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 58.7%
- Total population exposed: 10.1 million
Pictured is Valkenburg in South Limburg in the Netherlands in July 2021 after heavy rains flooded the area. Some 12,000 people were evacuated overnight in the region, according to Netherlands media.
2. Bangladesh
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 57.5%
- Total population exposed: 94.42 million
Pictured is Dhaka in July 2020.
Above, floodwaters inundate Sylhet, Bangladesh, in June 2022 after heavy downpours.
3. Vietnam
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 46.0%
- Total population exposed: 45.5 million
Oldtown Hoi An, Vietnam, a world heritage site, is seen here flooded after heavy rains in 2017.
4. Egypt
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 40.5%
- Total population exposed: 38.87 million
In 2021, unprecedented bad weather hit the southern Egyptian city of Aswan, on the Nile river, killing four, injuring dozens and flushing out deadly scorpions.
5. Myanmar
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 39.9%
- Total population exposed: 19.1 million
6. Laos
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 39.7%
- Total population exposed: 2.99 million
7. Cambodia
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 38.1%
- Total population exposed: 7.43 million
8. Guyana
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 37.9%
- Total population exposed: 276,000
9. Suriname
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 37.7%
- Total population exposed: 233,000
10. Iraq
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 36.8%
- Total population exposed: 16.35 million
11. Thailand
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 33.9%
- Total population exposed: 25.43 million
Pictured is Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Oct. 3 of this year when the Ping River overflowed its banks. Flood damage across Thailand has inundated more than 70,000 homes in northern and central regions since late September, according to Nikkei Asia. It's the worst flooding since 2011.
12. South Sudan
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 32.5%
- Total population exposed: 5.44 million
13. Pakistan
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 31.1%
- Total population exposed: 71.79 million
Above, people salvage items from a hotel and homes damaged by floodwaters in Kalam in Swat Valley, Pakistan, Aug. 30, 2022.
14. Nepal
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 29.4%
- Total population exposed: 11.99 million
15. Republic of the Congo
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 29.3%
- Total population exposed: 1.17 million
The massive Congo River forms part of the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Republic of the Congo.
16. Philippines
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 29.0%
- Total population exposed: 30.48 million
17. Japan
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 28.7%
- Total population exposed: 36.06 million
Above, the Kamo River floods its banks during heavy rain in Kyoto, Japan in 2018.
18. Austria
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 27.8%
- Total population exposed: 2.44 million
19. India
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 27.7%
- Total population exposed: 390 million
Above, people gather to help rescue others from a flooded area in Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India after a monsoon in 2018.
20. Albania
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 27.6%
- Total population exposed: 771,000
Pictured is Shkodra, Albania, which was flooded in September this year.
21. China
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 27.5%
- Total population exposed: 395 million
Above, high waters on the Yangtze River in Wuhan, China, in 2020.
22. Chad
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 27.4%
- Total population exposed: 4.55 million
23. Indonesia
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 27%
- Total population exposed: 75.7 million
Above, a family tries to escape floodwaters in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2018.
24. Croatia
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 26.9%
- Total population exposed: 1.09 million
25. Slovakia
- Flood risk, by population exposed: 26.7%
- Total population exposed: 1.4 million
A rising Danube river threatens a shopping center in Bratislava.
Sources: Rentschler, J., Salhab, M. & Jafino, B.A. Flood exposure and poverty in 188 countries and Visual Capitalist
