Disaster displacement: Bangladesh 6th worst-hit in the world
A new study reveals that natural disasters have caused over 21 million internal displacements in Bangladesh between 2008 and 2025. The report highlights the 'human cost' of these events, estimating an average annual economic impact of $102 million beyond direct property damage.
Why it matters
The findings underscore the severe, long-term socio-economic impact of climate-related displacement in vulnerable nations, providing a framework for future disaster mitigation planning.
Staff Correspondent Natural disasters triggered more than 21 million internal displacements in Bangladesh between 2008 and 2025, placing the country among the world’s six most affected, according to a new study analysing internal displacement patterns.
The study estimates the “human cost” at $1.7 billion, or an average of $102 million a year.
Unlike disaster reports that focus only on direct economic damage, such as destroyed buildings or ruined crops, the “human cost” measures the invisible toll on people’s lives. It calculates the collective decline in health, safety, and well-being when people are displaced from their homes and struggle to recover.
The study said the annual average human cost is broadly equivalent to rebuilding around 60,000 disaster-resilient homes, providing emergency cash assistance to more than a million households, or financing one month’s food support for around eight million people.
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