Rising to the Challenge: Boosting Adaptation and Resilience for Development

One in five people globally are at high risk from climate-related hazards—not just because they’re exposed to floods, heatwaves, cyclones, or droughts, but because poverty or limited access to essential services like clean water, electricity, social protection or financial services leaves them more vulnerable. But here’s the good news: the share of people at high risk from climate-related hazards has halved globally within a decade—from 2010 to 2021, demonstrating global progress and illustrating the benefits of development for resilience. 

In South Asia, for example, the drop is largely thanks to reductions in poverty and better access to financial services, electricity, and education. Our analysis shows that a 10% increase in income could reduce the global population at high risk from climate hazards by almost 100 million people. In short, development can significantly strengthen people’s ability to cope with and recover from shocks. 

Figure 1: Share of population at high risk from climate-related hazards, 2010-21

Source: WBG Scorecard data on percentage of people at high risk from climate-related hazards (https://scorecard.worldbank.org); Hill et al. (forthcoming).

But development alone isn’t enough, especially in the face of increasing risks—from rising temperatures to more frequent and more intense disasters. As highlighted in the World Bank’s Rising to the Challenge report, building resilience requires a three-pronged approach: faster development, more resilient development, and targeted adaptation efforts.

This means building the right policies and systems and ensuring both public decisions and private investments take current and future climate risks into account.

Well-designed adaptation measures already show what’s possible. During the 2024 flood in Poland, a dry dam installed for flood control protected cities along the Odra River, helping safeguard more than 2.5 million people. But not every country has the same resources or readiness. To help close the gap, the World Bank has assessed adaptation and resilience readiness in 45 countries —using our Adaptation Principles framework to pinpoint where progress is underway and where support is still needed. 

Figure 2: Summary of country adaptation and resilience performance across six key pillars

Source: World Bank country A&R readiness assessments. See details here.

Note: Each indicator is scored 1 (nascent), 2 (emerging), and 3 (established) based on data, expert input, and comparisons with peer countries. The figure shows each country’s average score by pillar (dots), the overall average across countries (cross), and the middle range of scores (25th to 75th percentile) as the shaded box.

These assessments surface critical gaps and identify priorities, alongside proven successes and practical lessons that countries can replicate and scale.

• Climate data and early warnings: High-quality, publicly available data on climate change and hazard risks are crucial. While many countries have improved hydromet capacity, most still lack localized, high-resolution data for effective planning. Successful interventions in many countries can be replicated. For instance, in Bangladesh, better localized hydromet information has reduced crop losses by up to 75 percent.
• Resilient infrastructure and planning: Building resilient infrastructure makes economic sense. Yet, many countries still rely on outdated building codes and land use plans that don’t reflect climate risks, even as cities rapidly expand to flood-prone areas. In the Pacific Island countries, a regional transport program is introducing planning that incorporates climate risks, nature-based solutions, and technical reforms which has reduced maintenance costs by 20% and disaster recovery costs by 75%.
• Risk management and social protection: Some countries still lack national strategies for managing climate disaster risks. But targeted programs are making a difference. In Niger, an adaptive social protection system that responds early to drought improved food security by 8% and household consumption by 18%. In the Horn of Africa, a drought response program has helped 1.5 million pastoralists access financial services like insurance.
• Macroeconomic resilience: This remains a major gap as few countries are addressing climate-related fiscal and financial risks. However, some are leading the way. The Philippines has implemented a disaster risk finance strategy, layering financial instruments to improve preparedness. Colombia has also established a strong institutional framework, including climate risk stress tests for its financial system.
• Institutional coordination and local action: Even where strategies exist, implementation often falls short, with weak coordination and execution across sectors. Vanuatu offers a model—allocating 15% of its budget to resilience and strengthening local governance to deliver risk-informed services that meet community needs.

When countries build strong systems, communities are better protected, businesses can adapt, and governments can make smarter, faster decisions. These country assessments offer a roadmap for action. For policymakers, it’s about setting clear priorities, guiding investments, and about tracking progress, and aligning efforts with the Global Goal on Adaptation. 

For communities, it’s about building resilience where it matters most.  

For all of us, it’s about rising to the challenge—so we’re ready not just for the next crisis but also laying the foundation for a more resilient and inclusive future.

Source; blogs.worldbank.org