Estimates show disasters claimed fewer lives this year, cost insurers more

Preliminary sigma estimates show total economic losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters reached USD 71 billion in the first half of 2016. The global insurance industry covered a total of USD 31 billion, or 44%, of the total losses. Thunderstorms in the US and Europe were the costliest events for the insurance sector in the first half. Around 6 000 people lost their lives in natural catastrophes and man-made events in the first six months of the year, compared to12 000 in the first half of 2015.

Of the total economic losses in the first half of the year, natural catastrophes made up USD 68 billion (compared with USD 46 billion in H1 2015), while the remaining USD 3 billion came from man-made disasters. Total global insured losses from natural catastrophes rose to USD 28 billion, driven by large losses from different perils, from thunderstorms to wildfires, across all regions. This is slightly above the annual average first-half loss of the previous 10 years. Insured losses from man-made disasters fell to USD 3 billion from USD 5 billion in the first half of 2015.