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When we think about disasters, we often picture damaged buildings, flooded streets, or destroyed infrastructure. What is less visible, but just as devastating, is what happens to people’s jobs and livelihoods.

Our new global study covering 132 countries, Worldwide Job Losses Due to Natural Hazards, puts a number on these hidden costs. It finds that each year, disasters and extreme heat are associated with the loss of around 90 million full‑time job equivalents worldwide.

Every job lost or disrupted represents a worker losing income, a family struggling to make ends meet, a small business under strain and communities facing setbacks that can take years to overcome. 

Effective disaster response depends not only on emergency services, but on clearly defined institutional roles, coordinated systems, and public trust. In Japan, the police are formally designated as a response agency under the Basic Act on Disaster Management and have consistently delivered strong results in major crises. Three principles underpin this readiness, offering practical insights that may be relevant in other contexts.