Deadliest climate disasters in Africa 1970-2019, by human loss

A drought in Ethiopia in 1983 caused 300 thousand deaths, the deadliest natural disaster recorded in Africa between 1970 and 2019. Drought was the natural disaster that caused the largest number of deaths in Africa, much more than floods and landslides. Some of the deadliest droughts occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, especially in the Horn of Africa and Eastern Africa. The Horn of Africa has been largely affected by floods, landslides, and tropical cyclones. For instance, thousands of people, mainly in South Sudan, Sudan, and Somalia, were displaced due to various hazards and climate-induced disasters.

Africa’s vulnerability to climate change

Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change. A large share of the population lives in poverty and its livelihood depends on activities extremely sensitive to climate changes and weather conditions, such as agriculture, forestry, and fishing. Climate conditions for agricultural production have worsened in the last years, according to five out of 10 Africans. People living in rural areas and working directly in agriculture are more observant of this phenomenon.

Economic impact of natural disasters

The majority of natural disasters that affect Africa are floods, which represent 60 percent of all reported natural disasters recorded over the last decades. Natural disasters such as droughts, storms, and landslides have a huge economic impact. A drought in South Africa in 1990 and Cyclone Idai, in Mozambique in 2019, were the most expensive climate disasters recorded in Africa between 1970 and 2019. Each of these two events caused an economic loss of almost two billion U.S. dollars.