ISLAMABAD: Pakistan remains high on the global risk scale, ranking among the countries with the highest exposure to conflict and disaster risk, according to the World Risk Index 2024 report released on Monday.
This year, Pakistan has moved up to replace China among the top three countries for conflict exposure, following last year’s shift when Russia edged out Pakistan from the top 10. The index also highlights changes in disaster risk rankings, with Mexico and Colombia swapping positions. Afghanistan has rejoined the list of the top 10 most vulnerable countries, which was previously composed solely of African nations.
The report places Colombia, Brazil, Pakistan, Mexico, Myanmar, Nigeria, Lebanon, Iraq, Sudan, and Israel at the forefront of conflict exposure.
For disaster risk, the index identifies the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Colombia, Mexico, Myanmar, Mozambique, Russia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Peru, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, Somalia, and Yemen as the 15 countries with the highest risk.
The 2024 World Risk report, published by Germany’s Ruhr University Bochum — Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV), focuses on the increasing complexity and interconnectedness of global crises. It highlights how extreme weather events, conflicts, and pandemics overlap and exacerbate each other, with climate change, population growth, and political polarization contributing to the severity of these crises.
The report notes that risk hotspots are concentrated in the Americas and Asia, with a forecast shift towards countries with high climate sensitivity and vulnerability in the long term. These regions are expected to experience more frequent and intense natural disasters, potentially escalating existing conflicts and contributing to food insecurity, health problems, and displacement.
Central African Republic now leads the list of the most vulnerable countries, while Afghanistan has re-entered the top 10. The index emphasizes that global disaster risks are intricately linked to poverty and inequality, with increasing vulnerability exacerbating the impacts of extreme events.
The World Risk Index assesses disaster risks for 193 countries based on their exposure to natural hazards, population susceptibility, and the societies’ coping and adaptive capacities. The results underscore that Asia and the Americas are currently the main global risk hotspots, though shifts are expected as climate change intensifies.
