Business Daily Media

Men's Weekly

.

Aon: Catastrophes and Natural Disasters in the Asia Pacific Region in 2022 Led to Total Economic Loss of USD 80 Billion

  • 86 percent of disaster losses uninsured
  • Floods were costliest peril for the third consecutive year, accounting for more than 61 percent of total economic loss

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 27 June 2023 - Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, today published its 2023 Weather, Climate and Catastrophe Report: Asia Pacific Insights, which identifies Asia Pacific (APAC) and global natural disaster and climate trends to help make better decisions to manage volatility and enhance resilience. The report reveals that natural disasters in the Asia Pacific region in 2022 caused a USD 80 billion economic loss -- of which only USD 11 billion was covered by insurance.

The report shows that 2022 was the fifth costliest year on record for insurers globally, with six of the top 10 events happening in Asia Pacific. Flooding remained a recurring threat with annual losses exceeding USD 30 billion every year since 2010. Pakistan, India, southern China and South Korea saw record rain and significant flooding in 2022. Floods in Pakistan were the costliest event for the peril, tied with seasonal flood losses in China, which were at their highest since 2016. The only two geophysical disasters that cost approximately USD 1 billion in economic losses in 2022 were the March Fukushima Earthquake in Japan and September Sichuan Earthquake in China.

The report also highlights that approximately 31,300 people lost their lives due to global natural catastrophe events in 2022, with Asia Pacific accounting for approximately 4,000 deaths. The number of fatalities from tropical cyclones was also at its lowest in at least 66 years. This is not only a result of below-average activity, but also improved disaster response and adaptation measures. Tropical cyclone losses in Asia Pacific dropped to one of the lowest with accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) scores in the northwest Pacific and north Indian oceans reaching their fifth and fourth lowest values since 1991, respectively.

George Attard, chief executive officer, Reinsurance Solutions, Asia Pacific at Aon said, "The extreme weather in the region throughout the year highlights the continuing need to strengthen resilience by adopting effective adaptation and risk management strategies. This includes improved mitigation through warning systems and advanced analytics that help assess the potential impact of events and enhance disaster response. There is an increasing need for organisations to shift to a data-driven and analytical approach to address and navigate emerging and evolving risks, build a resilient workforce, have access to new forms of capital, as well as scalable innovative solutions regardless of their size. The data, statistics and analytics of this report are intended to help organisations understand natural disaster and extreme weather trends, quantify and qualify issues influencing catastrophe risk, and make better decisions to protect and grow their business."

Further findings of the 2023 Weather, Climate and Catastrophe Report: APAC Insights include:

  • Nearly 86 percent of economic losses in the region are not covered by insurance.
  • Flood losses continued to maintain dominance as the costliest peril for the third consecutive year, accounting for more than 61 percent of the total economic loss. Much of the flood losses in 2022 occurred in South Asia, where the protection gap remains very high as flood insurance cover is not widespread.
  • In recent years, flooding has been prominent in terms of economic losses, partly from continuing La Niña conditions, which drove prolific rainfall in Sydney, Australia, Sindh, Pakistan and Meghalaya, India, increasing risks of deadly landslides and/or overflowing rivers.
  • High temperatures affected India and Pakistan early in March 2022. In India, it was the hottest March on record since 1901.
  • In Japan, a record number of people were admitted to hospitals due to heatwaves, which followed an early end to the plum rain season. China had its second driest summer and most extensive and longest heatwave on record.
  • Monsoonal floods in Pakistan had a far-reaching humanitarian impact on the country, with 1,739 lives lost and over 33 million people affected. Ongoing impacts were felt through acute malnutrition or waterborne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhea and malaria. Hospitals were overwhelmed as thousands of health facilities were destroyed in the flooding. In a summary of the 2022 monsoon season, the Pakistan Meteorological Department noted that country-wide rainfall from July to September was 175 percent above average.

While technological innovation has allowed for better insight, including faster and more thorough assessments of damages during and after a catastrophic event, the Aon study examines resilience and the ability to overcome climate-related consequences – not only for physical risks, but also in areas such as the health of the workforce - reiterating the need to build multi-faceted strategies that account for climate change risk mitigation on all fronts.

Brad Weir, head of Analytics for Asia at Aon, said, "While a majority of total losses in 2022 were left uninsured, the 86 percent 'protection gap' highlights the vulnerability of our region's communities, but also the opportunity for new solutions. As climate change continues to affect the frequency, location and intensity of weather events, the physical and tangible risks will continue to evolve. Through private and public sector collaborations and data-driven analytics, organisations can help turn climate science into action to enhance their own risk mitigation and also support addressing the protection gap to better safeguard the communities in which we live and work."

The top 10 global economic loss events in 2022 were:

Date Event Location Deaths Economic Loss Insured Loss
($ billion) ($ billion)
09/27 – 10/01 Hurricane Ian United States, Cuba 157 95.5 52.5
Annual European Drought Southern, Western & Central Europe N/A 22 3
Annual U.S. Drought United States N/A 16 8
06/14 – 10/30 Pakistan Seasonal Floods Pakistan 1,739 15 0.1
06/01 – 09/30 China Seasonal Floods China 195 15 0.4
03/16 Fukushima Earthquake Japan 4 9.1 2.9
02/23 – 03/31 QLD & NSW Floods Australia 22 8 4
Annual China Drought China N/A 7.6 0.2
02/18 – 02/19 Windstorm Eunice Western & Central Europe 17 4.5 3.4
05/17 – 10/31 India Seasonal Floods India 2,135 4.2 0.1
All other events ~27,100 115.6 57.4
TOTALS ~31,300 313 billion 132 billion

The full report and a short video are available on Aon's interactive microsite. Along with this report, readers can access current and historical natural catastrophe data and event analysis at catastropheinsight.aon.com. For additional regional insights, view the 2023 Weather, Climate and Catastrophe Report: APAC Insights here.
Hashtag: #ClimateRisk #Aon #WeatherClimateCatastrophe #NaturalDisasters #AsiaClimateRisks #FloodLoss #EconomicLoss


The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Aon

(NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Our colleagues provide our clients in over 120 countries and sovereignties with advice and solutions that give them the clarity and confidence to make better decisions to protect and grow their business.

Follow Aon on , , and . Stay up-to-date by visiting the and sign up for News Alerts .

Disclaimer
The information contained in this document is solely for information purposes, for general guidance only and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although Aon endeavours to provide accurate and timely information and uses sources that it considers reliable, the firm does not warrant, represent or guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, completeness or fitness for any purpose of any content of this document and can accept no liability for any loss incurred in any way by any person who may rely on it. There can be no guarantee that the information contained in this document will remain accurate as on the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No individual or entity should make decisions or act based solely on the information contained herein without appropriate professional advice and targeted research.

News from Asia

VinFast Advances Ecosystem Strategy in Philippines’ EV Catch-Up

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Media OutReach Newswire - 15 July 2025 - With nearly 19,000 electric vehicles sold in 2024, the Philippines is looking to catch up in Southeast Asia’s EV race as ecosystem pl...

Rising AI-Driven Cyber Attacks and Geopolitical Tensions Shaping Asia Pacific Cyber Risk Landscape, Aon study

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 15 July 2025 - Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, has released the Asia Pacific (APAC) findings from its 2025 Cyber Risk Repor...

Far East Hospitality Strengthens its Presence in Japan with Two New Hotels in Osaka

Group enters Osaka with two Far East Village Hotels in Namba South and Honmachi districts, reinforcing its commitment to double its footprint to 2000 rooms in Japan. SINGAPORE - Media OutReach New...

KN Group and AlloyX Form Strategic Partnership, Launching World’s First On-Chain Tokenized Consumer Loan Assets

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 15 July 2025 - In July 2025, Hong Kong fintech company KN Group announced a significant strategic partnership with AlloyX, a prominent Hong Kong-based Web...

COUNTRY & SECTOR RISKS - June 2025 The great leap backwards: 23 sectors and 4 countries downgraded

HONG KONG SAR / SHANGHAI & BEIJING, CHINA / TAIPEI, TAIWAN / SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA / TOKYO, JAPAN - Media OutReach Newswire - 15 July 2025 - In a context of unprecedented geopolitical and trade un...

Porsche Design Tower Bangkok Partners with List Sotheby's to Venture into Japanese Ultra-luxury Market

Successful Tokyo Roadshow Event Introduces Asia’s Unparalleled Ultra-Luxury Living to Japan STUTTGART, GERMANY / TOKYO, JAPAN - Media OutReach Newswire - 8 July 2025 - Porsche Design Tower Bangkok...

American Express Opens New Centurion Lounge at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport

NEW YORK, US - Media OutReach Newswire - 15 July 2025 - On July 16 American Express (NYSE: AXP) will open a new Centurion Lounge at Tokyo's Haneda Airport (HND), the busiest airport in Japan and o...

VinFast to introduce new model in Indonesia upon return to GIIAS 2025

JAKARTA, INDONESIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 15 July 2025 - VinFast today announced its return to the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) 2025, scheduled to take place from July 2...

Wildberries tests ready-to-eat food delivery from restaurants

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 16 July 2025 - Wildberries, a leading digital platform in Eurasia, is launching a pilot service for express delivery of ready-made meals from restaurants...

MSIG Hong Kong’s 2024 Claims Report announces multi-year growth in its claims settlement ratio and highlights award-winning claims processing innovation

94.5% claims settlement ratio was achieved amidst a difficult business environment First year that two categories – Employees' Compensation Hong Kong and Marine - saw settlement ratios of 100% D...

How to ensure your manufacturing business survives international tariff turmoil

Optimising your operations in FY2026 will help you combat the challenges of a volatile trading environment. Up, down, in out…Since the commence...

Why Apptio is Enhancing Visibility into AI and Hybrid Cloud

AI investments have become a strategic priority for business with the mindset that if you're not using AI, you're falling behind. But according to...

Beyond borders: Building a scalable strategy for international hiring

For many Australian businesses, growth increasingly depends on thinking beyond local borders.  As wage pressures rise, and specialised talent pool...

The Next Generation of Maritime Sustainable Solutions

As organizations globally seek innovative ways to improve sustainability and their impact on Earth, the American Waterways Operators (AWO), a lead...

Demand for Home Batteries surges as Federal Rebate Kicks In

A leading provider of energy solutions VoltX Energy has seen a 400% increase in demand for home batteries in the past three weeks as people put d...

Why Sport Remains the Safest Bet in an Uncertain World

When Rome was in crisis, its leaders did not retreat to the Senate. They went to the circus. To the chariot races. To the gladiators. Sport was no...

Sell by LayBy