The earthquake in Turkey which has left thousands of people dead may end up being the single greatest natural disaster of the 21st century so far. In spite of the fact that this is the case, things did not have to be quite so bad. Even though Turkey is vulnerable to earthquakes, a considerable amount of loss of life could have been prevented if the country was better prepared.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that there are several countries that are prone to earthquakes, and not all of them are resilient to these natural disasters. The World Risk Index has divided vulnerability into three separate categories, namely that of social development or lack thereof, political and infrastructure stability, along with lack of progress which refers to disaster prevention and mitigation efforts that the country has taken part in so far.
It turns out that Syria is at the bottom of that list, since it has a very high vulnerable rating in all three categories. Syria is followed by the Philippines which scored very high in the social inequality and political instability categories, with a high score in lack of progress. India does just as badly, with exactly the same scores as the Philippines with all things having been considered and taken into account.
As for the other end of the spectrum, the country that was found to be most resilient to earthquakes was Japan. It got a low score in social inequality and lack of stability, and a very low score in lack of progress which makes sense considering how many earthquakes Japan has suffered in the past. The US came in second, with low scores across the board although it did not receive a very low score in any of the categories.
All in all, countries across Asia are especially prone to such disasters, but they are not all that prepared for them. With earthquakes predicted to increase in intensity as well as frequency, these countries must work hard to prevent themselves from turning into the next Turkey.
H/T: Statista
Read next: Global Economic Forecast Looks Up as Inflation Winds Down
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that there are several countries that are prone to earthquakes, and not all of them are resilient to these natural disasters. The World Risk Index has divided vulnerability into three separate categories, namely that of social development or lack thereof, political and infrastructure stability, along with lack of progress which refers to disaster prevention and mitigation efforts that the country has taken part in so far.
It turns out that Syria is at the bottom of that list, since it has a very high vulnerable rating in all three categories. Syria is followed by the Philippines which scored very high in the social inequality and political instability categories, with a high score in lack of progress. India does just as badly, with exactly the same scores as the Philippines with all things having been considered and taken into account.
As for the other end of the spectrum, the country that was found to be most resilient to earthquakes was Japan. It got a low score in social inequality and lack of stability, and a very low score in lack of progress which makes sense considering how many earthquakes Japan has suffered in the past. The US came in second, with low scores across the board although it did not receive a very low score in any of the categories.
All in all, countries across Asia are especially prone to such disasters, but they are not all that prepared for them. With earthquakes predicted to increase in intensity as well as frequency, these countries must work hard to prevent themselves from turning into the next Turkey.
H/T: Statista
Read next: Global Economic Forecast Looks Up as Inflation Winds Down
