Global Risk and Vulnerability

Component Analysis of Multi-hazard Risk

PDC’s Multi-hazard risk score is a combination of multi-hazard exposure, vulnerability (susceptibility to impact), and coping capacity (the relative ability to absorb negative disaster impacts). This provides a collective measure of how each country may be affected by hazards and disasters as a whole over time.

National Comparison of Multi-hazard Risk Scores

Very high

Global Comparison of Multi-hazard Exposure

PDC’s multi-hazard exposure analysis plots the geographic extent of a country’s major hazards and inventories the people, property, and other elements subject to potential losses within those corresponding zones. Geography, topography, hydrology, climate, and other factors help determine each hazard’s exposure pattern in relation to population, infrastructure, housing and other elements of interest. The geographic extent, frequency and severity of hazard occurrences are considered as well—helping to estimate hazard potential and magnitude and its relative importance.

Exposure to Natural Hazards

Global Comparison of Vulnerability

PDC’s vulnerability analysis measures the physical, environmental, social, and economic conditions and processes that increase susceptibility of communities and systems to the damaging effects of hazards. Multiple factors influencing disaster outcomes, including those linked to poverty and development, are considered in the analysis.

Very high

Global Comparison of Coping Capacity

PDC’s coping capacity analysis measures the systems, means, and abilities of people and societies to absorb and respond to disruptions in normal function. It considers a range of factors that contribute to the ability of an impacted population to limit the likelihood or severity of the
damaging effects of hazards and to manage disruptions that do arise.

Very high

Global Comparison of Resilience

PDC’s resilience analysis represents the combination of susceptibility to impact (vulnerability) with the relative ability to absorb, respond to, and recover from short-term disaster impacts (coping capacity). Resilience provides an indication of current socioeconomic and disaster management conditions on the ground, independent of hazard exposure.