Greece recorded highest per capita economic losses due to climate change

The biggest economic losses per inhabitant related to the climate and the dramatic changes taking place on our planet were recorded by Greece in 2020, as shown by Eurostat data.

In fact, Greece recorded losses per inhabitant almost three times higher than the European average, and more specifically, 91 euros per inhabitant, followed by France (62 euros) and Ireland (42 euros). The lowest losses per inhabitant were recorded in Bulgaria (0.7 EUR per inhabitant), Slovenia and Slovakia (both EUR 4 per inhabitant).

On average the EU, in 2020, recorded climate-related economic losses of €27 per inhabitant.

145 billion euros lost in a decade

Climate change leads to climate-related extreme weather events, which in turn lead to economic losses. Such events, including heat waves, floods and devastating storms, have caused economic losses of more than €145 billion in the EU over the past decade.

Furthermore, the 30-year average of climate-related economic losses shows a clear trend, increasing by almost 2% per year over the past decade, according to estimates by the European Environment Agency.

In 2020, the total climate-related economic losses were €12 billion. The highest amount of these losses was recorded in 2017 (€27.9 billion), more than double that of 2020, as a result of the heatwaves recorded in Europe which caused widespread drought and large fires. The lowest total loss was observed in 2012 (3.7 billion euros).