Top 10 climate disasters in 2025 cost a combined $122 billion in damages

Asia accounted for four of the top six costliest disasters with flooding in India and Pakistan killing more than 1,860 people, costing up to $6 billion

In 2025, the 10 most costliest extreme weather events caused $1 billion in damages, individually, according to a new report by Christian Aid. Called ‘Counting the Cost 2025’, the report found that heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, and storms combined cost the world more than $120 billion last year.

Among the costliest were the Palisades and Eaton wildfires in California, costing more than $60 billion, according to the report. It underlined the escalating cost of climate change, with fossil fuel companies playing a central role in driving the crisis. 

According to the report, Asia accounted for four of the top six costliest disasters with flooding in India and Pakistan killing more than 1,860 people, costing up to $6 billion and affecting more than 7 million people in Pakistan alone.

The report mentioned the devastating wildfires in the UK, caused by record-breaking heatwaves in Scotland, as well as extensive droughts in Canada, the series of typhoons in the Philippines, and record-breaking fires in the Iberian Peninsula. 

Climate crisis fuelled disasters

“These disasters are not ‘natural’ — they are the predictable result of continued fossil fuel expansion and political delay,” said Emeritus Professor Joanna Haigh, at Imperial College London. 

The report found that the top ten disasters in 2025 cost a combined $122 billion in damages. While these estimates have been calculated based on insured losses, the true financial costs are significantly higher.

Following a close second to the California wildfires were the cyclones and floods that struck Southeast Asia in November, causing $25 billion in damage and killing more than 1,750 people across Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Malaysia. After that, the worst affected was China due to devastating floods. Displacing thousands, it caused $11.7 billion in damage and killed at least 30. 

The report found that more than $5 billion in damage was caused by typhoons in the Philippines with more than 1.4 million people displaced. 

The report found that no continent was spared from crippling climate disasters in 2025, with at least one disaster in each of the six populated regions of the world — drought in Brazil, summer wildfires in Spain and Portugal and February cyclones in Australia and Réunion island off the coast of Africa.

“These climate disasters are a warning of what lies ahead if we do not accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. They also underline the urgent need for adaptation, particularly in the global South, where resources are stretched and people are especially vulnerable to climate shocks,” said Patrick Watt, CEO, Christian Aid.

The report also highlighted that while the top ten focuses on financial costs, which are usually higher in richer countries because they have higher property values and can afford insurance, some of the most devastating extreme weather events in 2025 hit poorer nations, which have contributed little to causing the climate crisis and have the least resources to respond. 

These included flooding in Nigeria in May and the Democratic Republic of Congo in April, which affected thousands with potentially up to 700 deaths in Nigeria alone. The ongoing drought in Iran and West Asia threatened 10 million people in Tehran with possible evacuation due to a water crisis.

“This year lays bare the brutal reality of climate change. While wealthy nations count the financial cost of disasters, millions of people across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean are counting lost lives, homes and futures. In 2026, governments must stop burying their heads in the sand and start responding with real support for the people on the frontlines — through scaled-up finance for those in need and faster emissions reductions,” said Mohamed Adow, Director, Power Shift Africa.

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