2025 Year in Review: Progress, Pressure, and the Path Forward
As we welcome a new calendar year and embrace optimism for progress ahead, 2025 leaves behind mixed feelings around the world.
Losses remained high, risk signals stayed loud, yet beneath the headline numbers, something meaningful continued to take shape: better forecasting, sharper conversations around mitigation, and a growing recognition that preparedness is not a nice-to-have. It’s a necessity with measurable returns.
This year-in-review looks at what the data tells us, where progress showed up, where cracks remain, and what we must prioritize in 2026 if resilience is going to keep up with the risks.
The 2025 Scoreboard
Let’s get an idea of the opportunities ahead by taking a look at some of the numbers that defined the year:
107 Billion Global insured catastrophe losses
Global insured catastrophe losses measured $107 billion, marking the sixth consecutive year of losses exceeding $100 billion. (Source: Swiss Re)
$131 billion in total global losses in the first 6 months
In the first half of 2025, the world experienced $131 billion in total global losses, with $80 billion insured. (Source: Munich RE)
64,000 fires burned across roughly 5 million acres
United States wildfires blazed across the country, with nearly 64,000 fires burned across roughly 5 million acres. (Source: NIFC)
More than 115 federally declared disasters in the United States
There were 115 federally declared disasters in the United States by October. (Source: USA Facts via FEMA)
13 named storms and 5 hurricanes in the atlantic
The Atlantic hurricane season saw 13 named storms and 5 hurricanes. Notably — and incredibly — no hurricanes made U.S. landfall, offering a rare pause amid an otherwise intense season. (Source: NOAA)
These shocking figures reinforce a familiar truth: while individual seasons might offer temporary relief, the long-term risk curve is continuing to climb worldwide.
What Went Right in 2025
Progress doesn’t always make the headlines, but it matters.
Each month, we spotlight some good news stories from around the globe through Readiness Rising posts on social media — take a look!
Better Anticipation and Forecasting
Improved modeling and clearer communication helped governments and response agencies prepare earlier. During the 2025 hurricane season, in particular, we saw how advanced planning and coordinated readiness reduced downstream impacts when forecasts were translated into action.
Faster, More Coordinated Recovery
Where systems were in place, we observed efficient recovery processes. Mutual aid agreements, pre-positioned resources, and cross-jurisdiction coordination shortened response timelines and reduced strain on local capacity. These mechanisms didn’t eliminate damage, but they certainly helped communities regain their footing faster.
Mitigation ROI Entered the Mainstream Conversation
Perhaps most importantly, 2025 pushed prevention economics into sharper focus. Global risk frameworks emphasized what experts have long known: every dollar invested in mitigation saves multiple dollars in future losses. This message gained traction across policy, planning, and funding conversations, reframing resilience as a financial strategy as much as a humanitarian one.
For a closer look at the numbers and insights behind investing in resilience and financing for the future of our planet, we recommend exploring the 2025 GAR (Global Assessment Report) from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.
What Went Wrong
This year also highlighted persistent and emerging challenges, giving us an idea of what we’ll need to prioritize in 2026.
Secondary Challenges Drove Outsized Losses
Wildfires, severe storms, flooding, and other “secondary perils” — frequent but localized events that tend to be less devastating than primary perils like earthquakes — continued to account for a disproportionate and troubling share of losses worldwide.
These hazards, which are often under-modeled and under-mitigated, proved once again that catastrophic risk is no longer limited to headline events. At Prometheus, we believe that just because these kinds of events are more common doesn’t mean we should fail to prepare and protect from their impacts.
Coverage Gaps and Affordability Pressures
Insurance availability and affordability worsened in many high-risk regions. Underinsurance left households, businesses, and local governments exposed, shifting recovery costs downstream and slowing long-term rebuilding efforts.
Turbulence in Mitigation Funding
Pre-disaster mitigation funding became a point of friction in 2025. Uncertainty arround access, eligibility, and continuity created delays precisely when long-term investments were needed most. This turbulence revealed just how fragile resilience pipelines can be when funding mechanisms are unstable or inaccessible.
Where We Improve in 2026
The lessons we learned in 2025 point to clear and actionable priorities for our year ahead:
Keep Pre-Disaster Mitigation Funded and Accessible
Mitigation works, but only when communities can actually use it. Programs must be consistently funded, easier to navigate, and designed to support under-resourced jurisdictions that often face the highest risk.
Treat Households and Community Organizations as Force Multipliers
Preparedness doesn’t start at the federal level. Empowering households, nonprofits, and local organizations with tools, training, and funding multiplies our impact and strengthens response capacity before disasters strike.
Improve Data Interoperability and Needs Assessments
Faster, clearer data sharing across agencies and sectors will enable quicker needs assessments and the smarter deployment of resources. Interoperable systems are no longer optional; they’re foundational to an effective response.
Strengthen Critical Infrastructure and Plan for Continuity
From power and water systems to healthcare and communications, critical infrastructure has to be designed for disruption if it’s going to keep up with the evolving world. Continuity planning ensures that when systems are stressed, they bend instead of break.
Looking Ahead…
Yes, 2025 reminded us that progress and pressure can exist at the same time. Risk is on the rise, but so is our understanding of how to reduce it. The challenge for 2026 isn’t discovering new solutions, but scaling the ones that we already know work. With sustained investment, clearer coordination, and a global commitment to prevention, resilience can move from aspiration to standard practice. The scoreboard matters, but what matters most is how we respond to it.
