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Natural Disasters Increase in 2009 In 2009, some 860 natural catastrophes occurred worldwide. Given the 750 disasters registered in 2008, this represented an increase of 15 percent. Last year had the fourth highest number of events in the period from 1980 to 2009. Overall economic losses from natural disasters in 2009 totaled about $50 billion—the lowest since 2001—with insured losses at about $22 billion. Some 88 percent of the total losses and 98 percent of the insured ones were weather-related.
Read: Losses from Natural Disasters Decline by Petra Löw Complete trends are available with full analysis, endnote referencing, Excel spreadsheets, and customizable presentation-ready charts as part of our new subscription service, Vital Signs Online.
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