Facts + Statistics: U.S. catastrophes

2019 natural catastrophes

Aon defines a catastrophe as a natural event that causes $25 million or more in insured property losses, or 10 deaths; or 50 people injured; or 2,000 filed claims or homes and structures damaged. Aon’s natural catastrophe estimates include Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and include losses sustained by private insurers and government-sponsored programs such as the National Flood Insurance Program. They are subject to change as loss estimates are further developed. Natural catastrophe losses in the United States rose to an historic high in 2017 of $137 billion in 2020 dollars, the year of Hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma and costly California wildfires. Natural catastrophe losses fell 55 percent in 2018 and 36 percent in 2019, when they totaled $39.6 billion in 2020 dollars.

Natural Catastrophe Losses In The United States, 2019 (1)

($ millions)

Event	Number of events (2)	Fatalities	Overall losses	Insured losses (3)
Severe thunderstorm	49	70	$27,000	$20,300
Winter storms and cold waves	16	73	7,400	2,100
Tropical cyclone	5	16	3,900	1,900
Wildfire, heat waves, and drought	9	11	1,300	830
Flood, flash flood	9	7	10100	200
Earthquake and geopyhsical	2	3	180	50
Total	90	180	$49,900	$25,500

(1) As of May 2020.
(2) Events that have caused at least one fatality or losses of $3 million or more.
(3) Sourced from Property Claim Services based on property losses including, if applicable, agricultural, offshore, marine, aviation and National Flood Insurance Progam losses; may differ from data shown elsewhere.

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Natural Catastrophes By Quarter, 2019 (1)

($ millions)

Quarter	Estimated insured losses
1	$9,210
2	13,760
3	10,230
4	5,930
Full year	$39,130

(1) Natural disasters that cause at least $25 million in insured losses; or 10 deaths; or 50 people injured; or 2,000 filed claims or homes and structures damaged. Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Includes losses sustained by private insurers and government-sponsored programs such as the National Flood Insurance Program. Subject to change as loss estimates are further developed. As of November 25, 2020.

Source: Aon.

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Estimated Insured Property Losses, U.S. Natural Catastrophes, 2010-2019 (1)

($ billions)

Year	In dollars when occurred	In 2020 dollars (2)
2010	$19.2	$22.7
2011	48.4	55.7
2012	63.5	71.5
2013	24.1	26.8
2014	23.2	25.3
2015	22.9	25.0
2016	31.6	34.1
2017	130.8	137.4
2018	60.4	62.0
2019	39.2	39.6

Source: Aon.

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Top 10 Costliest Natural Catastrophes, United States (1)

($ millions)

			Estimated insured property loss
Rank	Year	Peril	Dollars when occurred	In 2020 dollars (2)
1	2005	Hurricane Katrina	$65,000	$85,570
2	2012	Hurricane Sandy	30,000	33,530
3	2017	Hurricane Harvey	30,000	31,590
4	2017	Hurricane Irma	29,900	31,320
5	2017	Hurricane Maria	29,670	31,100
6	1992	Hurricane Andrew	16,000	29,360
7	1994	Northridge Earthquake	15,300	27,060
8	2008	Hurricane Ike	18,200	21,510
9	2012	Drought loss	14,390	16,420
10	2005	Hurricane Wilma	10,670	13,840

Source: Aon.

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Below are charts from Munich Re, which include flood insurance losses in its calculations. The reinsurer estimated insured natural catastrophe losses in the United States for 2018 at $52 billion.