The 5 Most Dangerous Places in the World to Live

The World Risk Index analyzes 171 countries’ risk of facing a natural disaster—and their ability to cope.

A woman leaves her flood-submerged house in Macapagal, north of Manila, on Oct. 21, 2015, after Typhoon Koppu hit the Philippines. (Photo: STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)

Sep 2, 2016· 1 MIN READ

Jillian Frankel is an editorial intern for TakePart. She is the features and student life editor at the UCLA campus newspaper, The Daily Bruin.

Wildfires, tsunamis, and earthquakes devastate communities across the globe, but the disasters are compounded in countries lacking the infrastructure necessary to reach the victims of natural events.

Researchers at the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security assessed the disaster risk in 171 countries, analyzing exposure to natural hazards and societal vulnerabilities, to produce the World Risk Index. For its sixth report, the team focused on critical infrastructure and its role in delivering aid.

“When it comes to aid measures following extreme natural events, the challenges mostly lie in the ‘last mile’ of the logistics chain: organizing transportation despite destroyed streets or bridges and ensuring fair distribution when there is a shortage of for example water, food and shelter,” project director Peter Mucke said in a press release. “Crumbling transport routes, unreliable electricity grids and dilapidated buildings not only hinder humanitarian aid from overseas, but also delay crucial aid for those affected in the event of a disaster.”

According to the study, Vanuatu, Tonga, the Philippines, Guatemala, and Bangladesh are the five most dangerous places to live. Thirteen of the 15 most dangerous countries are in Africa and received their scores mostly because of underdevelopment that limits the reach of humanitarian relief in the region. The top five safest places to live are Qatar, Malta, Saudi Arabia, Barbados, and Grenada. The U.S. ranks No. 116.

(Map: Weltrisikobericht.de)

While the islands of Vanuatu and Tonga face a multitude of natural hazards, from earthquakes to volcanic eruptions, wealthier countries were able to lessen their risk ranking thanks to higher standards for building codes, larger food supplies, and increased access to information technology.

“The example of Australia demonstrates how a low level of vulnerability can lower disaster risk. The country mitigates its exposure, which is mainly to drought, earthquakes and sea-level rise, and thus attains a ranking of 121st from 171 in the World Risk Index,” the analysts reported. “However, the example of Japan shows that a low level of vulnerability cannot fully compensate for extreme exposure. Despite its very low vulnerability, the country is in place 17 in the World Risk Index because of its very high exposure, mainly to earthquakes and floods.”

The study also found that countries such as Liberia (No. 56), Zambia (No. 66), and the Central African Republic (No. 71) have the opposite problem of Japan: They face a much lower risk of natural disaster but are highly vulnerable to any that occur because of a lack of infrastructure and plans for emergency services.

Researchers said developing high-quality, accessible roads in more remote areas could help emergency teams reach victims. In addition, existing infrastructure must be better managed, with the researchers noting that a single event can wipe out a critical bridge for a remote community.

“Nature cannot be controlled. Humans can only influence to a limited degree whether, and with what intensity, natural events are to occur,” the researchers wrote. “But [we] can take precautions to help prevent a natural event from becoming a disaster.”