Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in India

India: Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters was 4.90 million people in 2019. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2019)
4.90 million people
Change on year
up 48.4%
World rank
8th
of 78 countries
All-time high
300.00 million people
in 1987
All-time low
0 people
in 1900
Years of data
22
1900–2019

Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in India, 1900–2019

0100.0M200.0M300.0M1900195920191900: 0 people1942: 0 people1964: 666.0k people1965: 33.3M people1966: 33.3M people1967: 33.3M people1972: 100.1M people1973: 99.9M people1979: 10.0M people1982: 37.0M people1983: 63.0M people1987: 300.0M people1993: 1.2M people1996: 0 people2000: 21.5M people2001: 28.5M people2002: 300.0M people2009: 0 people2015: 164.8M people2016: 165.2M people2018: 3.3M people2019: 4.9M people

Source: EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

India recorded 4.90 million people for annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in 2019.

That represents a change of up 48.4% on the previous year and down 97.0% over five years.

Over the whole period, annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in India peaked at 300.00 million people in 1987 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1900.

India ranks 8th of 78 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0 people 0 people 0 people 1
1940s 0 people 0 people 0 people 1
1960s 25.17 million people 666,000 people 33.33 million people 4
1970s 70.00 million people 10.00 million people 100.14 million people 3
1980s 133.33 million people 36.96 million people 300.00 million people 3
1990s 587,500 people 0 people 1.18 million people 2
2000s 87.50 million people 0 people 300.00 million people 4
2010s 84.55 million people 3.30 million people 165.23 million people 4

Countries ranked near India

  1. 5 Zimbabwe 7.60 million people compare
  2. 6 Somalia 5.60 million people compare
  3. 7 Ghana 5.56 million people compare
  4. 9 Pakistan 4.68 million people compare
  5. 10 Niger 4.40 million people compare
  6. 11 South Sudan 3.69 million people compare

See the full ranking of 78 places →

More reference data data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in India?
Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters in India was 4.90 million people in 2019, according to EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual number of people affected by all natural disasters recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 300.00 million people in 1987.
What is the lowest annual number of people affected by all natural disasters recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1900.
How does India rank for annual number of people affected by all natural disasters?
India ranks 8th out of 78 countries with data for 2019.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Annual number of people affected by all natural disasters
Unit
people
Source
EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
78 places, 1,202 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed

Total number of people affected by a natural disaster.