Weather is extreme, but less tragic

The year saw fires in Los Angeles that flattened communities, a tragic flood in Texas, and cyclone-driven floods in southern Asia that were far more devastating. We had our share of extreme weather.

But the record 2025 set is the lowest death rate from extreme weather events since records began. Commentator Roger Pielke Jr. notes that estimates of flood casualties in Asia are not confirmed yet, but if estimates are correct, 2025 will be the lowest absolute number of deaths from extreme weather ever. And this isn’t a fluke. Decade by decade, deaths have dropped dramatically.

“From 1970 to 2025 the death rate dropped by two orders of magnitude,” Dr. Pielke writes.

Disasters continue to cost more money, but the world also has much more wealth and technology to protect people.

Sources: Roger Pielke Jr., Vox, Our World in Data