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Africa is currently grappling with the deadliest climate crisis it has faced in over a decade. Between 2021 and 2025, the continent has endured an unprecedented wave of climate-related disasters, making this five-year span the most devastating in terms of human impact from weather, climate, and water hazards.
According to the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT), at least 221.57 million people across Africa were affected by such disasters in just five years. This figure exceeds the combined total for the previous two five-year periods—2011–2015 and 2016–2020. Moreover, disaster-related deaths surged to 28,759, a threefold increase compared to the 8,106 deaths recorded between 2016 and 2020. Since this data only reflects records up to May 2025, the final numbers could be even higher by year’s end.
During this period, Africa witnessed an escalation in the frequency, intensity, and impact of extreme weather events—ranging from prolonged droughts and floods to devastating cyclones, heatwaves, cold waves, and landslides. These recent disasters alone account for 54% of the total 412 million people affected by weather-related calamities across Africa since 2011.
Among all climate hazards, droughts emerged as the most severe, affecting 178 million people, or 81% of those impacted between 2021 and 2025. In comparison, floods impacted 14% and storms or cyclones 4.7% of the total affected population.
The Horn of Africa has been hardest hit. A record-breaking five failed rainy seasons between 2020 and 2022 plunged Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya into the worst drought in 70 years, according to the UN. The situation deteriorated further in 2024 when a severe drought gripped southern Africa and the Zambezi basin, worsened by a powerful El Niño event that began in late 2023.
- In Somalia, drought affected 4.4 million people across regions like Gedo, Bay, Mudug, and Togdheer.
- In Kenya, 2.1 million people were affected, primarily in Wajir, Garissa, Turkana, and other arid counties.
Five Countries Bear Half the Burden
Just five countries accounted for more than 51% of all affected individuals:
- Ethiopia: 33.1 million affected — a staggering 17-fold increase.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): 28.5 million — 42 times more than the previous period.
- Nigeria: 23.7 million — nearly a tenfold rise.
- Somalia: 15.6 million — 3.65 times more than before.
- Sudan: 12.8 million — an eightfold increase.
Of note, three of these five most impacted countries are in East Africa, underscoring the regional concentration of vulnerability. Meanwhile, southern African nations such as South Africa (12.2 million affected), Malawi, and Zambia have also experienced sharp increases in disaster impacts.
Soaring Death Toll Highlights Worsening Vulnerability
The number of disaster-related deaths has risen alarmingly:
- 2011–2015: 4,684 deaths
- 2016–2020: 8,106 deaths (73% increase)
- 2021–2025: 28,759 deaths — a more than threefold surge
This means that nearly 69% of all disaster-related deaths recorded since 2011 occurred in the last five years alone, underscoring the growing lethality of climate disasters for communities with limited capacity to cope.
One of the most tragic examples occurred in Libya, where the catastrophic Derna floods on September 10, 2023, killed 13,205 people—nearly half of all disaster deaths in Africa between 2021 and 2025. This single event positioned North Africa as the region with the highest death toll during the period.
Other countries also experienced dramatic increases in fatalities:
- DRC: Deaths jumped from 543 (2016–2020) to 3,876 — a sevenfold rise
- Malawi: Reported a 16-fold increase, primarily due to flooding
While extreme weather is undoubtedly the driver of this crisis, institutional weaknesses in disaster management, risk reduction, and adaptation planning are deepening the human toll. The DTE analysis emphasizes that the rising impact is not just due to climate change—it reflects systemic gaps in Africa’s ability to prepare for and respond to disasters.
The ND-GAIN Index, which ranks countries on their readiness for climate challenges, places most African nations near the bottom. Countries such as the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Zimbabwe, and the DRC rank among the least prepared, reflecting poor infrastructure, weak governance, and limited investment capacity for climate resilience.
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https://trendsnafrica.com/un-calls-for-climate-justice-urges-g20-to-prioritize-climate-agenda/
Africa’s climate crisis from 2021 to 2025 is more than a statistical alarm—it is a stark warning of the continent’s fragile adaptive capacity and the urgent need for resilient systems. With over 221 million people affected and nearly 29,000 lives lost, this period highlights the devastating intersection of climate extremes and institutional vulnerability.
As climate shocks continue to intensify, urgent investments in climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, and early warning systems are no longer optional—they are essential to safeguarding Africa’s future.
