Number of hurricanes globally 1990-2023

In 2023, there were 45 hurricanes registered worldwide, up from 45 hurricanes a year earlier. This was nevertheless below the average of 47 hurricanes per year registered from 1990 to 2022. The years of 1992 and 2018 tied as the most active in the indicated period, each with 59 hurricanes recorded. The Pacific Northwest basin recorded the largest number of hurricanes in 2023.

Most exposed countries to hurricanes

With the Pacific Northwest basin being one of the most active for hurricanes in the world , there is perhaps no surprise that Japan was the country most exposed to tropical cyclones in 2023. It was followed by the Philippines, also a West Pacific nation. Meanwhile, the Bahamas was the most exposed country in the Atlantic Ocean and ranked third most exposed worldwide during the same year.

Effects of tropical cyclones

From 1970 to 2019, almost 800,000 deaths due to tropical cyclones have been reported worldwide. In the past decade, the number of such casualties stood at some 19,600, the lowest decadal figure in the last half-century . In contrast to the lower number of deaths, economic losses caused by tropical cyclones has continuously grown since 1970, reaching a record high of more than 570 billion U.S. dollars from 2010 to 2019.