Past trends

Past trends

(provide general comments on past trends section here)

For the EEA member countries, total economic losses from weather and climate-related events between EUR 450 and 520 billion (in 2020 euros) depending on the source are recorded for the period 1980-2020 (41 years) (See Figure 1). Meteorological events and hydrological events each caused between 34-44% of total losses , the climatological events caused between 22 and 24 %. The geotechnical hazards (such as earthquakes and volcanoes, not included in the figures as they are natural hazards but not part of the weather and climate related extremes), have total losses comparable to the climatological events.

Figure 1 - Impacts of extreme weather and climate related events in the EEA member countries (1980-2020)

Only one-quarter up to one-third of the losses were insured. Large differences in insured losses between the 3 groups of hazards exist, notably 37-54 % of the total losses for the meteorological hazards, 15-24 % for hydrological events and 7-16 % for the climatological ones (see Figure 2a and 2b).

Figure 2 - Economic damage caused by weather and climate-related extreme events in EEA member countries (1980-2020)

2a)

2b)

Notes:

Geophysical events: earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions
Meteorological events: storms
Hydrological events: floods, mass movements
Climatological events: cold waves, droughts, forest fires
Climatological events (heatwaves)

For the period 1980-2020, total values for losses and insured losses in EUR million (in 2021 prices).

Sources:

Based on the Eurostat structural indicators (all panels) and the damage records from CATDAT (RiskLayer) (left panels) and NatCatSERVICE (Munich Re) (right panels)

In addition to insurance differences for different types of hazards, there are large difference between the EEA member countries. Based on the CATDAT data (Figure 3c), countries with the highest ratio of insured economic losses over total losses are Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway (48-56%) and the lowest values can be found in Croatia, Lithuania and Romania (0.5-1.5%). For NatCatSERVICE data, highest values are found in Belgium, Luxemburg and Denmark and lowest values in Lithuania, Romania and Cyprus.

Figure 3 - Impacts of extreme weather and climate related events in the EEA member countries (1980-2020)

3c)

a) economic losses per capita (Euro), b) economic losses per area (km) (Euro), c) insured economic losses as a fraction of total economic losses (in %) and d) total economic losses (1980-2020) as a fraction of total GDP (2006-2015) (in %)

Notes:

For the period 1980-2020, Euro values in 2021 prices.

Sources:

All panels based on damage records from CATDAT (RiskLayer) and the Eurostat structural indicators.

The large part of the fatalities (more than 85 %) in the period 1981-2020 is attributed to heatwaves. The heatwave of 2003 caused most fatalities: between 50 and 75 % of all fatalities from weather and climate-related events over the last 4 decades. As heatwave fatalities are is indirectly measured through excess mortality estimates that are also influenced by other non climatic factors, numbers between data sources differ significantly.

According to the World Meteorological Organisation, weather-related disasters increased globally over past 50 years, causing more damage but fewer deaths. Almost every study of significant heatwaves since 2015 has found that probability has been significantly increased by anthropogenic climate change. The attribution of drought events to anthropogenic factors is not as clear as for heatwaves because of natural variability caused by large oceanic and atmospheric oscillations. The trends in global data on losses and fatalities are less clear in data for Europe only. Statistically, 3% of the total number of climate and weather extreme events are responsible for around 60% of the losses over the period 1980-2020 and there are large inter-annual variabilities and differences between datasets. The CATDAT data show steadily increasing average annual (inflation-corrected) total losses over the decades from EUR 10.0 billion (1981-1990) till EUR 14.7 billion (2011-2020). In the NatCatSERVICE data the highest annual losses are registered in the decade 2001-2010 with EUR 13.1 billion and no increasing linear trend is seen (see Figure 2c and 2d).

Figure 2 - Economic damage caused by weather and climate-related extreme events in EEA member countries (1980-2020)

2c)

2d)

Figure 3 presents in the 2 upper maps (3a and 3b) the total economic losses per person (left) and square kilometre (right). Based on the CATDAT data, the highest losses per capita were recorded in Switzerland, Slovenia and France, and the highest losses per area (square kilometre) were in Switzerland, Germany and Italy. In the NatCatSERVICE data the highest losses per capita are registered in Switzerland, Luxemburg and Denmark and per area in Switzerland, Malta and Luxemburg. Based on the CATDAT data the lowest values per capita were registered in Liechtenstein, Turkey and Iceland and per area in Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. Based on the NatCatSERVICE data the lowest values are found in Estonia, Iceland and Turkey per capita and per square kilometre.

Figure 3 - Impacts of extreme weather and climate related events in the EEA member countries (1980-2020)

3a)

3b)

a) economic losses per capita (Euro), b) economic losses per area (km) (Euro), c) insured economic losses as a fraction of total economic losses (in %) and d) total economic losses (1980-2020) as a fraction of total GDP (2006-2015) (in %)

Notes:

For the period 1980-2020, Euro values in 2021 prices.

Sources:

All panels based on damage records from CATDAT (RiskLayer) and the Eurostat structural indicators.

Here a paragraph will be added about the total economic losses versus the GDP. It will refer to a map (Figure 3d, lower right panel), similar to the one presented in a previous version of the indicator on economic losses on weather and climate related events: https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/shares-of-total-losses-in.

Figure 3 - Impacts of extreme weather and climate related events in the EEA member countries (1980-2020)

 3d)

a) economic losses per capita (Euro), b) economic losses per area (km) (Euro), c) insured economic losses as a fraction of total economic losses (in %) and d) total economic losses (1980-2020) as a fraction of total GDP (2006-2015) (in %)

Notes:

For the period 1980-2020, Euro values in 2021 prices.

Sources:

All panels based on damage records from CATDAT (RiskLayer) and the Eurostat structural indicators.