2014 Recorded Lowest Insured Global Losses Since 2009

Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development team, has released its Annual Global Climate and Catastrophe Report, which evaluates the impact of the natural disaster events that occurred worldwide during 2014.
The report concludes that 258 separate global natural disasters occurred in 2014, compared to a ten-year average of 260 events, causing a combined total insured loss of $39 billion — 38 percent below the ten-year average of $63 billion, and the lowest annual insured loss total since 2009. The two costliest insured loss events of the year were both a result of severe thunderstorms, in June (Europe: $3.0 billion) and in May (United States: $2.9 billion).