Natural disaster occurrence in Pakistan has risen during the 1980-2026 period, causing huge socio-economic losses. From the early 1990s onward, disaster occurrence began to increase gradually, with more frequent fluctuations in recurring years.
According to the new Economic Survey of Pakistan 2026, a more pronounced escalation in the occurrence of the disaster is visible after 2000, when annual disaster events repeatedly crossed the range of 6 to 11 incidents. Several peak years were recorded during the mid-2000s and, most notably, after 2015, indicating a growing pattern of recurrent natural disasters, including floods, storms, heatwaves, droughts, landslides, and other extreme climatic events.
The year 2023 proved to be the most disaster-prone year in 43 years, with 13 natural events recorded, demonstrating the intensified incidence of disaster risks in the country. The upward-sloping trend line further depicts that natural disasters are becoming more frequent over time, rather than isolated or cyclical events, thereby highlighting the urgency of strengthened climate resilience, disaster preparedness, and integrated risk management.
Although 2025 is marked by the shift towards La Niña conditions that temporarily cool the planet, around 90 percent of the ocean surface experienced at least one marine heatwave in 2025. Further, the indicator of global mean sea level in 2025 remained near the record highs observed in 2024, thereby continuing to damage coastal ecosystems and contribute to groundwater salinization and flooding.
At the same time, glacier mass loss and declining sea ice continue to signal rapid cryosphere changes. In the 2024-2025 hydrological year, glacier mass loss was among the five worst on record since 1950. These ocean warming and sea-level rise are projected to continue in the coming centuries, and much of this is long-term and irreversible in nature. Further, the world continued to experience extreme events. Thus, the rapid and large-scale changes in the earth system are creating cascading impacts on both human and natural systems, thereby causing food insecurity and displacement, especially in countries with high vulnerability and low adaptive capacity.
While air pollution has long been recognized as a persistent global hazard, 2025 marked a turning point as the crisis moved to the forefront of the international agenda after being placed at a top-ranked global risk by the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 202510. The 2025 IQAir World Air Quality Report11 highlights continued deterioration of global air quality.
the past nine years. Although 2025 is marked by the shift towards La Niña conditions that temporarily cool the planet, around 90 percent of the ocean surface experienced at least one marine heatwave in 2025. Further, the indicator of global mean sea level in 2025 remained near the record highs observed in 2024, thereby continuing to damage coastal ecosystems and contribute to groundwater salinization and flooding. At the same time, glacier mass loss and declining sea ice continue to signal rapid cryosphere changes. In the 2024-2025 hydrological year, glacier mass loss was among the five worst on record since 1950. These ocean warming and sea-level rise are projected to continue in the coming centuries, and much of this is long-term and irreversible in nature. Further, the world continued to experience extreme events. Thus, the rapid and large-scale changes in the earth system are creating cascading impacts on both human and natural systems, thereby causing food insecurity and displacement, especially in countries with high vulnerability and low adaptive capacity.
While air pollution has long been recognized as a persistent global hazard, 2025 marked a turning point as the crisis moved to the forefront of the international agenda after being placed at a top-ranked global risk by the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2025. The 2025 IQAir World Air Quality Report highlights continued deterioration of global air quality, with wildfire activity severely impacting regions that had historically experienced relatively low PM2.5 levels.
Consequently, only 14 percent of cities met the World Health Organization (WHO) annual average PM2.5 guideline of 5 µg/m³ threshold, down from 17 percent in 2024. Similar to a pattern seen in 2024 and in the preceding years, the largest population-weighted PM2.5 concentrations were still concentrated in Africa and Central and South Asia. Central and South Asia remained the top-most polluted region with respect to annual average PM2.5 levels, as 17 of the 20 most polluted cities are located within the region. Taken together, the worsening global air quality alongside intensifying climate pressures underscore brewing environmental crises at the global level.
The year 2025 recorded a national annual mean temperature of 23.9 °C in Pakistan, which was 1.09 °C above the long-term average and ranked as the 2nd warmest year on record during past sixty-five years. In contrast, rainfall during the year was near average, with a slight decline of 3 percent below the average. Additionally, significant climate events in 2025 reflect notable variations in temperature, rainfall patterns, and incidence of wind extremes across Pakistan.
According to the State of Pakistan Climate Report 2025, during the year, temperature extremes were particularly pronounced in southern regions, where Sibbi (Balochistan) was the hottest place, recording the highest average period maximum temperature of 37.8 °C. In contrast, colder conditions prevailed in the northern areas, where Skardu (GB) was the coldest place, recording the lowest average period minimum temperature of 7.0 °C.
Rainfall distribution also exhibited significant regional disparities. The highest rainfall was recorded in Malam Jabba (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) at 1461.0 mm, whereas Sialkot (Punjab) experienced the wettest day with 363.3 mm on 27th August 2025. In contrast, Panjgur (Balochistan) remained the driest location, receiving only 0.5 mm of rainfall. Overall, these patterns highlight pronounced spatial contrasts in both temperature extremes and precipitation, reflecting the diverse climatic conditions experienced across the country during 2025.
In regards to wind extremes, strong wind events (=30 knots) were reported extensively across multiple stations nationwide. In particular, very high wind speeds, including peaks of 75 knots experienced at Lahore Airport, 70 knots at Sialkot Airport and Padidan, and 65 knots at Multan Airport, reflecting the widespread occurrence and extreme intensity of winds experienced during the year.
Additionally, significant climate events in 2025 reflect notable variations in temperature, rainfall patterns, and incidence of wind extremes across Pakistan. According to the State of Pakistan Climate Report 2025, during the year, temperature extremes were particularly pronounced in southern regions, where Sibbi (Balochistan) was the hottest place, recording the highest average period maximum temperature of 37.8 °C.
In contrast, colder conditions prevailed in the northern areas, where Skardu (GB) was the coldest place, recording the lowest average period minimum temperature of 7.0 °C. Rainfall distribution also exhibited significant regional disparities. The highest rainfall was recorded in Malam Jabba (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) at 1461.0 mm, whereas Sialkot (Punjab) experienced the wettest day with 363.3 mm on 27th August 2025.
In contrast, Panjgur (Balochistan) remained the driest location, receiving only 0.5 mm of rainfall. Overall, these patterns highlight pronounced spatial contrasts in both temperature extremes and precipitation, reflecting the diverse climatic conditions