People in Harm's Way : Flood Exposure and Poverty in 189 Countries

Flooding is among the most prevalent natural hazards affecting people around the world. Thisstudy provides a global estimate of the number of people who face the risk of intense fluvial, pluvial, or coastalflooding. The findings suggest that 1.47 billion people, or 19 percent of the world population, are directly exposed tosubstantial risks during 1-in-100 year flood events. The majority of flood exposed people, about 1.36 billion, arelocated in South and East Asia; China (329 million) and India (225 million) account for over a third of globalexposure. Of the 1.47 billion people who are exposed to flood risk, 89 percent live in low- and middle-incomecountries. Of the 132 million people who are estimated to live in both extreme poverty (under $1.9 per day) and inhigh flood risk areas, 55 percent are in Sub-Saharan Africa. About 587 million people face high flood risk, while livingon less than $5.5 per day. These findings are based on high-resolution flood hazard and population maps that enableglobal coverage, as well as poverty estimates from the World Bank's Global Monitoring Database of harmonizedhousehold surveys.