Listen to this articleThe Los Angeles wildfires were the costliest natural disaster of 2025, according to the insurer Munich Re. (Photo: AFP)FRANKFURT - Natural disaster losses worldwide dropped sharply to $224 billion in 2025, the reinsurer Munich Re said on Tuesday, but warned of a still “alarming” picture of extreme weather events likely driven by climate change. The costliest disaster of the year came in the form of Los Angeles wildfires in January, with total losses of $53 billion and insured losses of around $40 billion, Munich Re said in its annual disaster report. According to Munich Re’s report, insured losses for 2025 came in at $108 billion, also sharply down on last year. By region, the United States’ total losses amounted to $118 billion, $88 billion of which was insured — around the same as an estimate of $115 billion total losses from US nonprofit Climate Central.

Source: Bangkok Post January 13, 2026 08:30 UTC