Developing the Recovery Gap Index: A Comprehensive Tool for Assessing National Disaster Recovery Capacities

The increasing frequency and severity of extreme natural events, along with their escalating impacts, highlight the urgent need for robust tools to assess and strengthen national capacities for disaster preparedness and recovery. In this context, this paper introduces one of these tools, called the Recovery Gap Index (RGI), a comprehensive composite index designed to quantify and evaluate the post-extreme natural event response and recovery capabilities at the country level. The tool addresses the need for a systematic approach to quantify resilience and evaluate the impacts of consecutive events on vulnerable areas. The RGI synthesizes data from three well-established indices: the World Risk Index, INFORM, and Global Infrastructure Risk Model and Index (GIRI), covering critical dimensions related to sociodemographic factors, infrastructure, governance, technology, and economic resilience. By extracting key parameters from these diverse indices and aggregating them, the RGI provides a detailed assessment of each nation’s ability to manage the aftermath of extreme natural events. The index findings reveal significant regional disparities in recovery capacities, with European countries exhibiting stronger resilience, whereas many African and Asian nations face substantial challenges. Furthermore, this study proposes several potential future enhancements, such as the incorporation of early warning systems and insurance coverage metrics, aimed at improving its accuracy and practical application. The RGI aims to be a valuable tool for policymakers, disaster management professionals, and stakeholders, enabling them to make informed decisions and implement targeted interventions to further enhance global disaster resilience.