Extreme weather events such as flooding and storms have caused significant economic damage across Europe over the last 41 years. The weather in Switzerland caused the most costly damage per capita, as storms battered Switzerland’s mountains and cities.
Switzerland suffered the highest price per capita
According to the European Environment Agency, between 1980 and 2021, 450 to 520 billion euros' worth of damage has been caused across the European Union, European Economic Area and Turkey. The 32 nation group, which includes Switzerland, saw significant damage caused by storms, landslides and freak weather events.
Overall, Germany saw the highest economic cost, estimated at around 110 billion euros over the 41 year period, followed by France and Italy. However, per capita losses were highest in Switzerland, which suffered around 16 billion Swiss francs' worth of damage. The money was used to compensate homeowners and to repair public transportation.
Only a third of damage covered by insurance
What’s more, only a third of the total damage was covered by insurance. The Environment Agency continued by saying that 3 percent of the most extreme weather events were responsible for around 60 percent of all economic losses.
Concluding the report, the agency found that between 1980 and 2021, 85.000 to 145.000 people across Europe died due to extreme weather. They say most deaths were due to heatwaves, with around 85 percent of fatalities occurring because of high temperatures.