The world’s most exposed urban area is the Tokyo-Yokohama region where Swiss Re estimates around 29 million people could be affected by a major earthquake. The reinsurance company has released new research and a risk index that compares the human and economic exposure of 616 cities around the world.

 

The Japanese metropolis also has potential for significant economic losses from earthquakes, according to the research. Tohoku – the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japan – cost around $210m in economic losses.

 

One reason for this vulnerability is the high population densities in urban areas, with a quarter of the world’s population living in cities. At the same time many urban areas are exposed to multiple natural hazards such as earthquake, windstorm and flooding.

 

The study found that coastal cities in Asia are especially at risk of catastrophic floods, storms, storm surges, earthquakes and tsunamis.