Annual economic damages from all natural disasters as a share of GDP in Australia

Australia: Annual economic damages from all natural disasters as a share of GDP was 0.1% in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
0.1%
World rank
8th
of 74 countries
All-time high
1.7%
in 1981
All-time low
0.0%
in 1974
Years of data
17
1967–2018

Annual economic damages from all natural disasters as a share of GDP in Australia, 1967–2018

00.511.51967199220181967: 0.655 %1968: 0.61 %1969: 0.545 %1974: 0 %1975: 0 %1976: 0 %1978: 0 %1981: 1.7 %1982: 1.5 %1991: 0.145 %1992: 0.013 %1993: 0.156 %1994: 0.15 %1995: 0.132 %2002: 0.504 %2006: 0 %2018: 0.084 %

Source: EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2018, annual economic damages from all natural disasters as a share of gdp in Australia stood at 0.1%.

Over the whole period, annual economic damages from all natural disasters as a share of gdp in Australia peaked at 1.7% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1974.

That places Australia 8th out of 74 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0.6% 0.5% 0.7% 3
1970s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 4
1980s 1.6% 1.5% 1.7% 2
1990s 0.1% 0.0% 0.2% 5
2000s 0.3% 0.0% 0.5% 2
2010s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 5 Papua New Guinea 0.3% compare
  2. 6 Brazil 0.2% compare
  3. 7 Canada 0.2% compare
  4. 9 Haiti 0.1% compare
  5. 10 Ethiopia 0.1% compare
  6. 11 El Salvador 0.0% compare

See the full ranking of 74 places →

More economy & growth data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual economic damages from all natural disasters as a share of gdp in Australia?
Annual economic damages from all natural disasters as a share of gdp in Australia was 0.1% in 2018, according to EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual economic damages from all natural disasters as a share of gdp recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 1.7% in 1981.
What is the lowest annual economic damages from all natural disasters as a share of gdp recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1974.
How does Australia rank for annual economic damages from all natural disasters as a share of gdp?
Australia ranks 8th out of 74 countries with data for 2018.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual economic damages from all natural disasters as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Annual economic damages from all natural disasters as a share of GDP
Unit
%
Source
EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
74 places, 1,048 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Total economic damages from natural disasters as a share of GDP.