India ranked 9th for 1995–2024 in the Germanwatch Climate Risk Index 2026

According to a new report published by Germanwatch, the Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2026, released at COP30 held in Belém on November 11, 2025, more than 832,000 people were killed, about 5.7 billion were affected, and economic losses exceeded USD 4.5 trillion (inflation-adjusted) from over 9,700 extreme weather events between 1995 and 2024.

Germanwatch is a Bonn-based environment and development organization that advocates for global equity and sustainability in climate policy.

Top 3 most affected countries – Dominica, Myanmar, and Honduras.

Category of continuing threats – India, the Philippines, Nicaragua, and Haiti.

India

India ranks 9th among the most affected countries during the 1995–2024 period, facing frequent floods, cyclones, droughts, and increasingly severe heatwaves.

In terms of the number of people most affected by extreme weather in 2024, India ranked third after Bangladesh and the Philippines. India’s rank for 2024 was 15th.

Since 1995, India has experienced nearly 430 extreme weather events, resulting in over 80,000 deaths, affecting 1.3 billion people, and causing economic losses of about USD 170 billion.

The report cites major disasters such as the 1998 Gujarat cyclone, the 1999 Odisha cyclone, the 2013 Uttarakhand floods, the severe floods in Maharashtra and Tripura in 2019, and Cyclone Amphan in 2020, all of which are linked to climate change.

West Bengal and Odisha bore the brunt of Amphan, while repeated extreme heat has scorched northern and central India, with temperatures approaching 50°C in recent years.

Key Facts

The report identifies Dominica, Myanmar, and Honduras as the most affected countries in the long-term index, while Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Chad top the 2024 list.

CRI analysis shows that over the past 30 years, heatwaves and storms caused 33% of deaths, while floods caused 25%. Storms accounted for 58% of economic losses—about USD 2.64 trillion—and floods for USD 1.31 trillion, while floods affected nearly half of the world’s impacted population.

About the Climate Risk Index (CRI)

Origin: Introduced in 2006 as an annual global climate impact index.

Publisher – Germanwatch, an environmental think tank.

Data sources – EM-DAT International Disaster Database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and World Bank.

Methodology and criteria: Under CRI, the impact of extreme weather events on countries is assessed based on six key indicators, both in absolute and relative terms: economic loss, mortality, and affected people.

Germanwatch is an independent development and environmental non-governmental organization established in 1991. Its objective is to influence public policy on environmental protection and the relationship between countries of the Global North and South.