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10 November, 2025
Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2026
Tue 11 Nov, 2025
Context:
- The international environmental think tank Germanwatch released the Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2026 during the COP30 Climate Summit.
Key Highlights of the Report:
- Publisher: Germanwatch
- Released at: COP30 (November 2025)
- Data Period: The index analyzes 30 years of data from 1995 to 2024 for long-term rankings, while annual rankings are based on the most recent available data (2024).
- Objective: The CRI ranks countries based on actual losses caused by extreme weather events (such as floods, storms, and heatwaves) to highlight the severity of the climate crisis and encourage policymakers to take urgent action.
Top 10 Most Climate-Vulnerable Countries (Rank 1 = Most Affected):
Dominica, Myanmar, Honduras, Haiti, Philippines, Nicaragua, Bangladesh, Libya, India, and Pakistan.
Category of Persistent Threats:
India, the Philippines, Nicaragua, and Haiti.
Global Findings (1995–2024):
| Metric | Period (1995–2024) |
| Extreme weather events | Over 9,700 |
| Lives lost (total deaths) | More than 832,000 |
| Direct economic losses (inflation-adjusted) | Over USD 4.5 trillion |
| People affected | Around 5.7 billion |
Types of Hazards:
- Loss of life and property:
Heatwaves and storms each accounted for about 33% of total deaths caused by extreme weather events, while floods were responsible for 25%.
- Economic losses:
Storms caused approximately 58% of the total economic losses (about USD 4.5 trillion), while floods accounted for USD 1.31 trillion (around 29%).
- Most affected population:
Nearly half of all people affected by extreme weather events globally were impacted by floods.
India’s Position:
- India ranks 9th in the long-term CRI 2026, showing a slight improvement from 8th place last year, indicating a marginal reduction in risk.
- However, India continues to face severe and recurring climate risks.
| Metric | India’s Data (1995–2024) |
| Extreme weather events | Over 430 |
| Total deaths | More than 80,000 (~9.6% of global deaths) |
| People affected | 1.3 billion |
| Total economic loss | Over USD 170 billion |
India-Specific Observations:
- The report cites major disasters such as the 1998 Gujarat cyclone, 1999 Odisha cyclone, 2013 Uttarakhand floods, 2019 Maharashtra and Tripura floods, and the 2020 Cyclone Amphan, linking them to climate change impacts.
- West Bengal and Odisha were the most affected by Amphan, while northern and central India have been repeatedly scorched by intense heatwaves, with temperatures reaching close to 50°C in recent years.