Philippines is the world's most disaster-prone country: Now what?

The Philippines has once again earned the unfortunate distinction of topping the World Risk Index 2025, reaffirming what Filipinos already know by experience: our country is highly vulnerable to disasters.

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With its archipelagic geography, exposure to an average of 20 typhoons a year, and increasing climate volatility, the Philippines faces a complex and compounding set of natural hazards—storms, floods, droughts, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

Recent back-to-back calamities have underscored this reality. Typhoons “Nando,” “Opong,” and tropical depression “Mirasol” — compounded by the southwest monsoon — left at least 18 dead, stranded more than 7,000 passengers, and displaced over 50,000 individuals. Entire regions were paralyzed—Cagayan, Central Luzon, Bicol, Visayas, and parts of Mindanao—by floods, landslides, and storm surges.