ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Center

This figure shows that as the region has developed economically, and GDP has grown, economic assets at risk have increased substantially. The exposure of these growing assets has also increased as economies have developed without sufficient consideration of disaster risk. From 2007 to 2016, the average economic damages from disasters triggered by natural hazards were estimated to be $76 billion each year, more than twice the level in the preceding decade (1997–2006). Not only does the Asia-Pacific region have more to lose as its economies develop, it is also subject to increasing threats from natural hazards.