Latin America on the global risk map
Latin America ranks, alongside Asia, among the world's regions most exposed to natural disasters. The combination of extreme phenomena — earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, droughts and landslides — with vulnerable social and economic conditions turns the region into a permanent risk scenario.
The World Risk Report 2025, compiled by Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft and the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) at Ruhr University Bochum (Germany), assesses disaster risk in 193 countries and places the main risk hotspots in Asia and the Americas. The Philippines, India and Indonesia top the ranking, and several Latin American countries are among the most exposed on the planet. The index combines exposure to natural hazards with vulnerability factors such as susceptibility, coping capacity and adaptation.
The highest-risk countries
The WorldRiskIndex 2025 places six Latin American countries among the top 25 worldwide:
Colombia (rank 4, index 39.26). It is the Latin American country with the highest disaster risk. On August 10, 2026, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake centred in Chocó left 335 dead, according to the UNGRD as of October 9. Oxford Economics estimated a direct impact equivalent to 0.2%-0.4% of Colombia's GDP (between 990 million and 1.98 billion US dollars); the most pessimistic scenario of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) put losses at up to nearly 40 billion, and the Colombian government gave a preliminary estimate of around 9.6 billion dollars.
Mexico (rank 5, index 38.96). The October 2025 floods caused 83 deaths, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Constant seismic activity and exposure to hurricanes on both coasts complete a picture of high vulnerability.
Peru (rank 14, index 25.81). The 2024-2025 rainy season left at least 85 dead and 9 missing as of March 11, 2025, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (COEN). Tumbes and Piura, in the north, were among the hardest-hit regions.
Ecuador (rank 18, index 24.14). Along with Peru, Ecuador suffered the impact of persistent rainfall in March 2025, which affected more than 110,000 people across both countries, according to the WMO.
Nicaragua (rank 20, index 23.60). Exposure to hurricanes, floods and droughts places Nicaragua among the most vulnerable countries in Central America.
Venezuela (rank 22, index 22.12). On June 24, 2026, a double earthquake of magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 off the coast of La Guaira state left more than 6,000 dead, according to official figures. The country is also exposed to heavy rains and landslides: in July 2024, Hurricane Beryl caused the Manzanares river to overflow, bringing deadly floods to Cumanacoa (Sucre state).
Rains and floods in South America
Extreme rainfall and floods in 2025 "brought serious humanitarian consequences" to the region, according to the WMO. Some of the most severe episodes:
- Peru and Ecuador endured persistent rainfall in March 2025 that left more than 110,000 people affected across both countries.
- Bolivia went through its most severe rainy season in four decades, with more than 50 dead and hundreds of thousands of families affected, according to the Bolivian government, which declared a national emergency in March 2025.
- Argentina suffered the Bahía Blanca flood in March 2025, when around 400 millimetres of rain fell in about eight hours and at least 16 people died.
- Brazil faces deadly rainy seasons year after year: in São Paulo state, the storms of the 2025-2026 summer claimed at least 13 lives by the end of January 2026, according to Civil Defence.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
The stretch of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean faces the Atlantic hurricane season every year, with increasingly intense events due to warming ocean waters. In October 2025, Hurricane Melissa became the first Category 5 hurricane on record to make landfall in Jamaica: it caused 45 deaths and losses of around 8.8 billion dollars, more than 41% of the island's GDP, according to the WMO. The organisation points to rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones as one of the signs of climate change in the region.
Swiss Re Institute analysts noted in 2026 that, although a strengthening El Niño could dampen hurricane activity in the North Atlantic during the second half of the year, "the risk of a major and costly event persists", and that "the long-term upward trend in insured losses remains intact".
Vulnerability factors
Latin America's high exposure to disasters is amplified by structural factors that increase the population's vulnerability:
- Social inequality. Poverty and lack of access to basic services limit communities' ability to prepare for and respond to emergencies.
- Unplanned urbanisation. Uncontrolled urban growth in risk areas — mountainsides, riverbanks, exposed coastlines — multiplies the population's exposure.
- Deficient infrastructure. Lack of investment in resilient infrastructure and early warning systems increases the human and economic cost of each disaster.
- Climate change. According to the WMO, the melting of Andean glaciers, on which nearly 90 million people depend for their water supply, worsens short-term flooding and long-term water security risks. Rising sea levels threaten coastal communities.
The role of international solidarity
The frequency and magnitude of disasters in Latin America have repeatedly activated international cooperation mechanisms. United Nations agencies, the Red Cross Movement and numerous NGOs mobilise resources for emergency response and long-term reconstruction.
Anyone who wants to help can do so through humanitarian organisations with a presence on the ground in each country. And if you want to launch your own initiative to support an affected community, you can create a campaign on Donation Pool, with clear information on where the funds go.
Building resilience
Experience from recent decades shows that investment in prevention is the most effective strategy for reducing the human and economic cost of disasters. Early warning systems, earthquake-resistant building codes, rigorous land-use planning and community education are fundamental pillars.
The WMO insists that "the signs of a changing climate are unmistakable across Latin America and the Caribbean". Adaptation is not optional: it is an urgent need that requires coordination between governments, international organisations, the private sector and civil society. Citizen solidarity, channelled with transparency and efficiency, is an essential complement that can save lives and rebuild communities.