The demand for information and understanding on natural hazard related risk on a global scale has grown in recent years. Such information is crucial for stakeholders who are working in the field of disaster risk reduction, spatial planning and (re-)insurance. The WorldRiskIndex provides a new approach to assess risk and vulnerability towards natural hazards on country scale and allows the comparison of countries at global scale.
The index is the product of a close cooperation between scientists and practitioners, it was developed by Birkmann and Welle (see Birkmann et al. 2011, Welle et al. 2015) for the Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft (The Alliance Development Works) aiming at serving as an instrument that helps to assess, visualize and communicate different levels of exposure, vulnerability and risk. Another cooperation partner is the United Nations University-Institute of Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS).
Concept of the World Risk Index
The concept of the WorldRiskIndex is referring to the understanding of risk within the natural hazards and disaster risk community, where disaster risk is defined as the product of the interaction of physical hazards and the vulnerabilities of exposed elements (UNISDR, 2004; Wisner et al., 2004; Birkmann 2006, IDEA 2005, IPCC 2012).