Natural disasters—including wildfires, storms, and earthquakes—inflicted an estimated $131 billion in damages worldwide during the first half of 2025, marking the second-highest total for a six-month period since 1980, according to data from German reinsurer Munich Re.
The United States bore the brunt of these events, accounting for $92 billion—approximately 70 percent of global losses—largely due to a series of severe storms, tornadoes, and record-setting wildfires. The California wildfires alone caused an estimated $53 billion in damage in January, making them the most destructive fire event on record.
The deadliest single disaster occurred on March 28 in Myanmar, where a powerful earthquake claimed around 4,500 lives.
Munich Re scientists noted that weather-related natural disasters are becoming increasingly frequent and intense, a trend they attribute to global warming.
Europe, by contrast, experienced relatively minor impacts, with total losses estimated at around $5 billion. However, Munich Re’s Chief Climatologist, Tobias Grimm, cautioned against complacency.
“It was luck that Europe avoided major weather catastrophes in the first half of the year,” Grimm said.
One notable exception was a devastating landslide in May in Switzerland’s Valais canton, where a rock and ice avalanche buried the village of Blatten, destroying 130 homes and causing an estimated $500 million in damages. Munich Re warned that thawing alpine permafrost, driven by climate change, is increasing geological risks in mountainous regions.
Out of the $131 billion in total global losses, approximately $80 billion was insured—both figures significantly exceeding the inflation-adjusted average for recent decades. The only first-half year with higher overall losses was 2011, due to Japan’s catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.
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