Slovenia with the highest damage per capita due to extreme weather events in Europe
Copenhagen – Extreme weather events related to climate change cost Europe billions of euros every year. According to estimates by the European Environment Agency (EEA), the economic damage from such events between 1980 and 2023 in 38 European countries exceeded a total of 790 billion euros. Per capita, the highest was in Slovenia, amounting to 8733 euros per capita.
The agency based in Copenhagen included data from 27 EU member states and eleven closely related countries, including Switzerland and six Western Balkan countries, in its analysis.
This showed that the economic damage from weather and climate events between 1980 and 2023 was highest in Germany (180 billion euros). It was followed by Italy (135 billion euros), France (130 billion euros), Spain (97 billion euros), and Poland (20 billion euros).
When calculated per capita, extreme weather events over the last 44 years caused the most economic damage in Slovenia. It amounted to 8733 euros per capita, the EEA noted.
In this comparison, Luxembourg (2694 euros), Switzerland (2685 euros), Italy (2330 euros), and Spain (2279 euros) follow.
The EEA also ranked Slovenia at the top of the list of countries with the highest economic damage from weather and climate events per square kilometer. In this case, it amounted to 866,467 euros per square kilometer.
Belgium (553,942 euros), Germany (504,812 euros), Switzerland (481,820 euros), and Italy (446,788 euros) follow.
According to the analysis, the most damage was caused by floods, storms, wind, and hail. The agency warned that too little of this damage is insured. Consequently, the total economic damage is growing faster than the insured damage. (July 2)
