Worldwide Job Losses Due to Natural Hazards

Abdulrasheed Abdulkarim Isah, Jun Rentschler, Robin Middelanis, Paolo Avner and Stephane Hallegatte

No 11400, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: Natural hazards can profoundly disrupt economies, yet their impact on employment remains underexplored. This study quantifies job losses due to floods, earthquakes, wind, storm surges, tsunamis, and heat across 132 countries, using a full-time job equivalent loss estimation approach. The results show that fast-onset natural shocks cause 9.4 million job equivalent losses annually on average, predominantly due to earthquakes and floods, with burdens concentrated in East Asia and the Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, extreme heat was associated with 79.7 million job equivalent losses annually across 114 countries between 2015 and 2024, with the burdens concentrated in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, average annual job losses can be significantly lower than losses from specific extreme events, for instance, with 1-in-100-year hazard events resulting in losses that exceed average annual job losses by a factor of over 10. Overall, low-income countries experience the highest job loss rate per capita. Within countries, the poorest population group bears a disproportionate share of job equivalent losses. Results highlight the urgent need for targeted adaptation and resilience measures that safeguard workers, jobs, and productivity to support economic development.

Date: 2026-05-29
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