Africa has recorded the fastest improvements in disaster resilience of any region worldwide, according to the latest edition of the World Risk Poll, a major survey by Lloyd's Register Foundation conducted with Gallup. The findings, based on interviews with more than 143,000 people across 140 countries in 2025, show that North Africa gained five points on the Resilience Index, Southern Africa four, and Eastern, Central, and Western Africa three points each.
The improvements are attributed to expanding internet access, better household preparedness, and stronger financial resilience in countries such as Kenya, Egypt, Uganda, Algeria, and Nigeria. However, the study also reveals a stark gap: in Central and West Africa, fewer than half of adults affected by disasters received any warning, raising concerns that progress may not be reaching the most vulnerable communities.
What is driving Africa's progress?
The Resilience Index, which measures people's ability to absorb and recover from major shocks on a scale of 0 to 100, assesses four dimensions: individual resilience, household preparedness, community support, and wider societal conditions. Increased internet access helps people obtain information about potential dangers, while household preparedness improves their ability to respond when emergencies occur.
Nancy Hey, director of evidence and insight at Lloyd's Register Foundation's Global Safety Evidence Centre, stressed the importance of preparedness. "A warning is only as good as what people can do with it," she said.
Despite the gains, the study does not suggest Africa is now the most resilient continent. Rather, its regions have shown the fastest rate of improvement over the period examined. The challenge remains translating these gains into better protection for all.
Why are millions still missing disaster warnings?
The study exposes massive inequalities in access to life-saving information. Globally, people in low-income countries were almost twice as likely to have experienced a disaster in the past five years as those in high-income countries. Nearly one in three adults in poorer countries reported being affected, compared with 16% in wealthier nations.
Yet only 64% of disaster-affected adults in low-income countries received warnings, versus 84% in high-income countries. Even when warnings were issued, fewer than half of warned adults in low- and lower-middle-income countries took action before disaster struck, compared with 71% in high-income countries.
Caroline Zastiral, acting global lead for disaster risk reduction and resilience at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said effective warnings depend on people's ability to respond. "Warnings lead to action when people have the trust, knowledge, time and resources to protect themselves, their loved ones and their assets," she explained.
Can mobile phones help save more lives?
The research identifies mobile technology as a major opportunity to close gaps in warning systems. Worldwide, an estimated 1.1 billion adults experienced a disaster in the previous five years, but almost 220 million received no warning. Of those not warned, 77% owned a mobile phone—more than 170 million people.
The study also found that people were more likely to act when warnings reached them through multiple channels. Only 37% of those receiving alerts through one channel took action, compared with 51% reached through two and 64% through three. These channels include text messages, television, and social media.
Local preparedness is already evident in parts of Africa. In Malawi, volunteers mobilised communities to clear storm drains ahead of extreme rainfall in January, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. This initiative illustrates how communities can take practical steps before severe weather arrives.
Challenge for rich and poor countries alike
While the study highlights poorer countries' greater exposure to disasters, especially amid climate change, it also challenges the assumption that national wealth necessarily makes people more resilient. Societal resilience, including trust in national institutions, rose globally from 63 points in 2021 to a record 66 in 2025. However, individual resilience fell from 46 to 42, its lowest recorded level.
Dr Andrew Tupper, chief of the Early Warning Services Section at the World Meteorological Organisation, said warnings must be part of a broader system that helps communities to respond. Lloyd's Register Foundation is urging governments and disaster management agencies to widen warning coverage and invest more in household preparedness.
For Europe, the findings offer a reminder that resilience is not solely a function of wealth. As the continent faces its own climate-related challenges, from wildfires in southern Europe to flooding in Germany and Belgium, the lessons from Africa's rapid progress—and its persistent gaps—could inform strategies for building more robust early warning systems and community-level preparedness. The growing cultural ties between Africa and Europe also underscore the importance of shared learning on disaster risk reduction.
