Low-Income Countries Experience Disproportionate Impact from Disasters, Report Finds

Natural disasters disproportionately affect populations in low-income nations, where nearly one in three adults report personal impacts over the past five years, according to findings published in London from the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll. The report, titled From Alert to Agency, draws on surveys conducted across 140 countries in 2025 to evaluate the relationship between disasters, early warning systems, and resilience.

The global average of adults reporting impacts from natural hazards stands at 20%, whereas the rate reaches 31% in low-income countries. Researchers noted that high-income nations benefit from greater protection, largely due to more resilient infrastructure and early warning systems. Among the ten countries reporting the highest impact rates globally, nine are classified as low-income or lower-middle-income, alongside Hong Kong. Eight of these nations are in sub-Saharan Africa, though the Philippines recorded the highest global rate at 80%.

Within low-income countries, the poorest households experience the most severe effects. The report found that 36% of individuals in the poorest 20% of households reported disaster impacts, compared to 27% in the richest 20%. In upper-middle-income and high-income countries, disaster impact rates remained similar across income tiers.

The report also identified a break in global trends regarding personal resilience, defined as the ability to bounce back from shocks. In most parts of the world, individuals affected by disasters demonstrate higher personal resilience scores than those unaffected, showing a gap of eight points or more. In low-income countries, however, the resilience difference between affected and unaffected populations was only one point on the index.

Preparedness metrics in low-income nations consistently trailed wealthier nations:

• Personal Agency: Only 42% of adults in low-income countries believe they could protect themselves in a future disaster, compared to 53% in upper-middle-income and 56% in high-income nations (though higher than the 33% reported in lower-middle-income countries).
• Household Planning: Approximately 29% of adults in low-income countries maintain a household plan for disasters, matching lower-middle-income nations but trailing wealthier peers.
• Confidence in Authorities: Only 40% of residents in low-income nations believe their local governments are well-prepared to handle disasters, compared to 58% in middle-income countries and 45% in high-income countries.

Concerns regarding severe weather are also elevated in lower-income areas. In low-income nations, 52% of adults expressed significant worry about harm from severe events such as floods and storms, 49% worried about prolonged events like droughts and heat waves, and 44% cited wildfire risks. These figures are markedly higher than worry levels recorded across middle- and high-income nations.

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