The Philippines is the riskiest country for third straight year: report
For the third straight year, a report showed that the Philippines is the riskiest country.
In the 2024 edition of the World Risk Report by Denmark's Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict of the Ruhr–University Bochum, the Philippines had the highest world risk index (WRI) among 193 countries, including all member states of the United Nations and 99% of the world population.
The Philippines scored 46.91, higher than its 46.82 and 46.86 scores in the 2022 and 2023 editions, respectively.
Countries were assessed on their levels of exposure, vulnerability, susceptibility, lack of coping capacities, and lack of adaptive capacities to crises including extreme natural disasters, conflicts, pandemics, and wars.
The WRI is calculated based on exposure and vulnerability.
Exposure is based on earthquakes, tsunamis, coastal and riverine floodings, cyclones, droughts, and sea level rise.
Vulnerability, meanwhile, has three dimensions: susceptibility, coping, and adaptation.
Susceptibility is the likelihood that populations will suffer damage from extreme natural events and enter a disaster situation, while coping is how societies counter the negative impacts of natural hazards and climate change.
Adaptation is the long–term processes and strategies that countries take to counter, mitigate, or purposefully avoid future adverse impacts.
Aside from the Philippines, the countries with the highest WRI this year include Indonesia with a score of 41.13, followed by India (40.96), Colombia (37.8), Mexico (35.93), Myanmar (35.85), Mozambique (34.44), Russian Federation (28.12), Bangladesh (27.73), and Pakistan (27.02).
Meanwhile, the countries with the lowest WRI are the following:
- Monaco – 0.18
- Andorra – 0.28
- San Marino – 0.35
- Luxembourg – 0.61
- Sao Tome and Principe – 0.67
- Liechtenstein – 0.71
- Belarus – 0.76
- Singapore – 0.80
- Qatar – 0.94
- Bahrain – 0.94
The report highlighted multiple crises that "jeopardize livelihoods and future opportunities but also have a significant impact on (mental) health."
"During the coronavirus pandemic, psychosocial and economic stress increased worldwide," the report stated. "In countries that were affected by extreme natural events at the same time, these burdens intensified."
In the Philippines, for instance, the country was battered by 22 tropical cyclones during the pandemic, culminating in Super Typhoon Rolly (international name Goni), one of the strongest storms ever recorded, in late October 2020.
The hundreds of thousands of destroyed homes and the overcrowded evacuation centers, which led to the increase in COVID–19 cases, "not only led to a dramatic increase in humanitarian needs, but also had a negative impact on the mental health of the population," according to the report.
