China suffers over $7.5 billion in economic losses from natural disasters

Natural disasters across China caused direct economic losses of 54.11 billion yuan ($7.55 billion) in the first half of 2025, the Ministry of Emergency Management announced on July 15.

Severe weather events—including a powerful earthquake in Tibet, fatal landslides in the southwest, and widespread flooding in southern regions—were among the most destructive incidents. Flooding alone accounted for over 90 per cent of the total losses, amounting to 51 billion yuan ($7.1 billion), Caliber.Az reports via Reuters.

Ministry spokesperson Shen Zhanli reported that more than 23 million people were affected by natural disasters during the six-month period. A total of 307 people were reported dead or missing, and around 620,000 required emergency evacuation.

Some 29,600 homes were destroyed, marking a 28.7 per cent increase from the same period last year, while damage was sustained across 2.19 million hectares of farmland.

Despite the devastation, total economic losses dropped 41.9 per cent from the 93.16 billion yuan ($12.9 billion) recorded in the first half of 2024, which marked the highest figure since 2019, according to Reuters calculations.

In response to increasingly frequent extreme weather events, China has stepped up support measures, expanding its economic safety net to cover populations affected by flood control initiatives. These include direct compensation from the central government and payments for livestock losses.

China’s vulnerability to climate-related disasters has come under sharper focus amid extreme rainfall and heat waves that have battered much of the country in recent weeks. Ageing flood defences and infrastructure gaps—such as inadequate air conditioning in some areas—have also been exposed.

Last week, dozens of rivers in the southwest rose above safe levels, and more than 10,000 residents were evacuated due to the remnants of former Typhoon Danas.

Meanwhile, surging demand for air conditioning amid soaring temperatures pushed the national power grid to a record high load.

Authorities warned that the coming weeks—particularly from mid-July to mid-August—will pose continued challenges, with intense rainfall forecast across northern China and heightened typhoon activity expected.

By Sabina Mammadli