Natural disasters in Asia-Pacific

Closing the protection gap for a more resilient future

Annual losses from natural disasters such as tropical storms, floods and earthquakes frequently run into the hundreds of billions of dollars. Since 1980, global losses have totalled US$ 7.2tn – one-third of which came from Asia-Pacific. In this region alone, natural disasters have produced US$ 2.4tn in losses since 1980, yet the protection gap remains alarmingly high at 88%, compared to 67% worldwide.

~US$ 2.4tn

losses from natural disasters in Asia-Pacific since 1980 (inflation-adjusted)

Regional Perspectives

Our experts in the region provide valuable insights into the impacts of extreme weather on our diverse markets, shedding light on the implications and opportunities.

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The protection gap: Natural disaster risks in Asia-Pacific

While only about one-tenth of natural disaster losses in Asia-Pacific since 1980 have been covered by insurance, the protection gap varies significantly across the region depending on market maturity. Underinsurance is most severe in emerging economies, highlighting the urgent need to raise awareness of natural disaster impacts and the importance of adaptation and risk mitigation measures to build resilience for the future.

Losses from natural disasters in Asia Pacific 1980-2025

Floods, earthquakes and tropical storms dominate natural disaster losses in the region

To address this protection gap, it is essential to understand which natural disaster-related perils drive the greatest losses in Asia-Pacific – especially in markets with low insurance penetration and evolving resilience measures. Floods, earthquakes and tropical storms are the primary drivers of natural disaster losses in Asia-Pacific, accounting for the majority of economic damages and exposing the region’s massive protection gap.

Top 3 perils in Asia Pacific in overall losses vs insured losses 1980-2025

Stay ahead of the storm.

Access Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) for predicting and mapping tropical storm activity worldwide:

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What we offer

Insurance helps people, companies and societies to recover more quickly from the financial impacts of a catastrophe. Further crucial aspects include preparedness and combined efforts between the insurance industry, governments, and decision-makers to achieve proactive risk mitigation through new policies and infrastructure changes.

A profound knowledge of scientific correlations, statistical trends, and relevant high-resolution data are essential elements when assessing extreme weather risks. Our experts are part of an international scientific network, which in turn provides the risk analyses that form the basis of our risk models. This allows us to offer a comprehensive portfolio of natural-disaster risk covers and to develop new concepts for previously uncovered risks for a whole range of client groups.

Benefit from our data and decades of experience in assessing extreme weather risks and the factors behind them. Get in touch with us; we’ll find a solution to meet your specific needs.