Number of people affected by disaster in United States of America
United States of America: Number of people affected by disaster was 35.48 million in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2021)
35.48 million
Change on year
up 79.0%
World rank
2nd
of 145 countries
All-time high
35.48 million
in 2021
All-time low
137,358
in 2019
Years of data
7
2015–2021
Number of people affected by disaster in United States of America, 2015–2021
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people affected by disaster in United States of America is 35.48 million, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 79.0% on the previous year and up 13,571.7% over ten years.
United States of America ranks 2nd of 145 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Number of people affected by disaster in United States of America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 259,480 | — |
| 2016 | 577,676 | +122.6% |
| 2017 | 2.10 million | +263.7% |
| 2018 | 532,442 | -74.7% |
| 2019 | 137,358 | -74.2% |
| 2020 | 19.82 million | +14330.4% |
| 2021 | 35.48 million | +79.0% |
United States of America compared with similar countries
- United States of America's 35.48 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 7,670, 4625.5× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 721,577 | 137,358 | 2.10 million | 5 |
| 2020s | 27.65 million | 19.82 million | 35.48 million | 2 |
Countries ranked near United States of America
More climate change data for United States of America
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.1% (2100)
- Urban population 80.2% (2025)
- Urban population 274.08 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.6% (2025)
- Population, total 341.79 million (2025)
- Population growth 0.5% (2025)
- Annual Net Emissions/Removals 6,164 (2024)
- Temperature change with respect to a baseline climatology 1.95 (2024)
- Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use 14.2 tonnes per person (2024)
- Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions including land-use change 20.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people affected by disaster in United States of America?
- Number of people affected by disaster in United States of America was 35.48 million in 2021, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest number of people affected by disaster recorded in United States of America?
- The highest recorded value was 35.48 million in 2021.
- What is the lowest number of people affected by disaster recorded in United States of America?
- The lowest recorded value was 137,358 in 2019.
- How does United States of America rank for number of people affected by disaster?
- United States of America ranks 2nd out of 145 countries with data for 2021.
- Is number of people affected by disaster rising or falling in United States of America?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13,571.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United States of America data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Number of people affected by disaster (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).