Health in Emergencies and Disasters Quarterly

en Over Two Decades of Natural Disasters in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan: A Retrospective Descriptive Study (2000–2024) عمومى General پژوهشي Research <div style="text-align: justify;">Background: The Middle East and North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are among the world's most disaster-prone areas, having suffered severe human loss and economic damage in recent decades. Analyzing the occurrence and nature of these disasters is vital for enhancing preparedness and informing effective risk reduction strategies. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from international databases, including EM-DAT, Our World in Data, World Bank, Statista, and World Population Review. We analyzed disaster type, country, date, frequency, total number of deaths, economic loss, and affected population. We compared our findings with prior studies sourced from scientific databases and organizational reports. Results: Between 2000 and 2024, the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, faced a total of 696 natural disasters. These caused over 163,000 deaths, affected 180 million people, and led to nearly 115 billion dollars ("000 US$) in damages. Floods, earthquakes, and storms were the most common and damaging natural disasters. Rising temperatures raised climate-related risks. Most deaths and economic damage hit low- and lower-middle-income countries. Conclusion: The studied region's vulnerability to natural disasters is driven by rapid urbanization, inadequate infrastructure, and climate change. Addressing these challenges requires targeted efforts, including engaging communities, building climate-resilient infrastructure, implementing robust early warning systems, and strengthening cooperation. Focusing on these actions can directly reduce disaster-related casualties and losses in the region.</div> Natural Disaster, Middle East, North Africa, MENA, Afghanistan, Pakistan 0 0 http://hdq.uswr.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-716-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Faezeh Rahmani rahmanif401@sbmu.ac.ir No Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Zohreh Ghomian zghomian@gmail.com Yes Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Masoud Jobaneh masoud.jobaneh@gmail.com No Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Behnam Esbakian Bandpey behnam.esbakian@gmail.com No Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.