tables
Costliest insured losses Rank Event Insured loss ($B) Victims Date (start) Country/region 1 Hurricane Katrina; storm surge, damage…
Costliest insured losses
| Rank | Event | Insured loss ($B) | Victims | Date (start) | Country/region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hurricane Katrina; storm surge, damage to oil rigs | 80.7 | 1,836 | Aug. 25, 2005 | U.S., Gulf of Mexico |
| 2 | Earthquake (Mw 9.0) triggers tsunami; aftershocks | 37.3 | 19,135 | March 11, 2011 | Japan |
| 3 | Hurricane Sandy; storm surge | 30.1 | 237 | Oct. 24, 2012 | U.S., Caribbean, Canada |
| 4 | Hurricane Andrew; floods | 27.4 | 43 | Aug. 23, 1992 | U.S., Bahamas |
| 5 | Terror attack on WTC, Pentagon and other buildings | 25.5 | 2,982 | Sept. 11, 2001 | U.S. |
| 6 | Northridge Earthquake (Mw 6.7) | 24.8 | 61 | Jan. 17, 1994 | U.S. |
| 7 | Hurricane Ike; floods, damaged to oil rigs | 22.6 | 136 | Sept. 6, 2008 | U.S., Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico |
| 8 | Earthquake (6.1) aftershocks | 17.1 | 815 | Feb. 22, 2011 | New Zealand |
| 9 | Hurricane Ivan; damage to oil rigs | 16.4 | 181 | Sept. 2, 2004 | U.S., Caribbean, Venezuela |
| 10 | Heavy monsoon rains, extreme flooding | 16.0 | 124 | July 27, 2011 | Thailand |
| 11 | Hurricane Wilma; torrential rains, flooding | 15.4 | 35 | Oct. 19, 2005 | U.S., Mexico, Caribbean |
| 12 | Winter Storm Vivian | 14.5 | 64 | Feb. 25, 1990 | Switzerland, Germany |
| 13 | Hurricane Rita; floods, damage to oil rigs | 13.2 | 34 | Sept. 20, 2005 | U.S., Gulf of Mexico |
| 14 | Drought in the Corn Belt | 11.5 | 123 | July 15, 2012 | U.S. |
| 15 | Hurricane Charley | 10.0 | 24 | Aug. 11, 2004 | U.S., Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico |
Sources: Swiss Re Institute, *The National Flood Insurance Program/FEMA and Cat Perils
Methodology: Costliest insured losses—Bloomberg ranked the costliest catastrophes from 1970 to 2017 based on insured losses, which are shown in 2016 dollars. Loss includes property and business interruption, excluding liability and life insurance losses. Victims include dead and missing. Mw refers to Moment Magnitude, which is based on seismic moment and is used to measure the size of large earthquakes. Costliest floods in the U.S.—Floods are ranked according to estimated economic losses, which are adjusted for GDP growth and shown in 2016 dollars. Ranking reflects the period of 1978 through 2016. Figures are for water damage only; wind damage is excluded.
Learn more about reprints and licensing for this article.
