The damage caused by natural disasters from January through June has made 2011 the most costly year ever recorded for such catastrophes — and the year's only half over. How do the costs break down? Here, the record losses, by the numbers:
$265 billion
Total cost of damages caused by natural disasters in the first six months of 2011, according to German insurer Munich Re
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
$220 billion
Total cost of damages caused by natural disasters in all of 2005, which is the year that held the previous cost record, says Tim Wall at Discovery News
$130 billion
Total cost of damages in 2010, less than half of what has accrued in the first half of 2011
5
Factor by which the damages for the first half of 2011 are greater than the annual average for this decade
335
The number of disasters tallied so far this year
$210 billion
Total damages caused by the Japan earthquake alone, making it the costliest natural disaster on record
$125 billion
Total damages caused by Hurricane Katrina, the biggest disaster of previous record-holder 2005, and the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history, says Jason Samenow at The Washington Post
$20 billion
Total damages caused by February's earthquake in New Zealand
$14.5 billion
Total damages caused by the severe storms and tornadoes in the U.S. in April and May
$7.3 billion
Total damages caused by the Australian floods at the beginning of this year
19,380
Number of people who have died as a result of natural disasters so far in 2011
15,500
Number of those deaths that were caused by the Japan earthquake and tsunami
230,300
Number of people who died as a result of natural disasters in 2010
225,000
Number of those deaths that were caused by the Haitian earthquake, the biggest disaster of that year
Sources: Bloomberg, Discovery News, Munich Re, Washington Post
Why some people remember dreams and others don't
The Week contest: Hotel seal
New FBI Director Kash Patel could profit heavily from foreign interests
