Disparities in exposure to hydrogeomorphic hazards in Bangladesh

Amelie Paszkowski (), Timothy Tiggeloven, Edoardo Borgomeo and Jim W. Hall
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Amelie Paszkowski: University of Oxford, Environmental Change Institute
Timothy Tiggeloven: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Edoardo Borgomeo: University of Cambridge, Centre for Sustainable Development, Department of Engineering
Jim W. Hall: University of Oxford, Environmental Change Institute

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Natural hazards can impair socio-economic development. While population exposure to various natural hazards has been quantified, the exposure to hydrogeomorphic hazards – involving water-induced landscape changes – remains unknown. Using high-resolution hydrogeomorphic modelling, combined with population and wealth data, this study provides a national-scale spatial assessment of exposure to hydrogeomorphic hazards across population and wealth groups, taking Bangladesh as a case study. Bangladesh is an exceptionally geo-dynamic country, where multiple hazards coincide with a dense population (1300 people per km2) and a high poverty rate (20%). Here we show that over 22 million people, making up 13% of the population, live within hydrogeomorphically unstable regions. Of the 22 million, 86% are within the lowest wealth groups of the population. Given such a high level of disparity in exposure, hydrogeomorphic hazards must be incorporated into disaster risk management and poverty alleviation efforts in Bangladesh and beyond.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64920-y

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