Which three Asian countries ranked riskiest in the world?

Singapore was the lowest-risk country in the region.

Three countries in Asia topped the WorldRiskIndex (WRI) 2024 – which assesses risk management against crises like natural disasters, pandemics, wars, and conflicts – for 193 countries.

The Philippines ranked 1st, garnering a WRI score of 46.91 – 100 signalling very high risks. Amongst the five indicators of the WRI score, coping capacities scored highest in risks (58.07). This was followed by Indonesia in 2nd place (WRI 41.13) and India at 3rd place (WRI 40.96).

In terms of countries with the lowest risk, Singapore ranked 186th with a WRI of 0.80.

Asia and the Americas continue to host eight of the top ten countries with the highest disaster risk scores. However, the long-term trend shows a shift towards countries with higher climate-sensitive exposure and vulnerability.

Colombia now ranks as the highest-risk country in the Americas, replacing Mexico, whilst Pakistan moves up to 10th place, displacing China, which drops to 22nd. 

Despite being the most exposed country in the world, China reduced its overall risk through lower vulnerability. Mexico, Japan, and the Philippines follow closely behind in exposure levels.

The Central African Republic now holds the highest vulnerability score, overtaking Somalia. Afghanistan re-enters the top ten most vulnerable countries, ending the previous dominance of African countries in this group. Germany has improved slightly, ranking 98th globally with a risk score of 4.1.

Conflicts, wars, and uprisings heavily influence the risk profiles of many countries. Central and North Africa, South and Central America, and South Asia are particularly affected, with Colombia, Pakistan, and Somalia showing high conflict exposure.