A new global risk poll reveals a stark divide in disaster resilience across the Middle East and North Africa, with Gulf states ranking among the world's most prepared while Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine fall well below the global average. The survey, conducted by Gallup for the Lloyd's Register Foundation, drew on more than 143,000 interviews in 140 countries and territories in 2025, measuring how well individuals and communities can withstand and recover from major shocks.
Kuwait topped the regional rankings with a resilience score of 74 points, followed by Bahrain at 72, and Oman and the United Arab Emirates at 70 each. The global average stood at 57. Confidence in government preparedness was particularly high in the Gulf: in the UAE, 87% of respondents said their government was well prepared for disasters — the second-highest proportion among the 133 countries included in the index. In Bahrain, the figure was 82%.
By contrast, Lebanon scored just 48 points, Iraq 49 and Palestine 52. In Lebanon, only 14% of respondents believed their government was well prepared for disasters, and just 39% of those affected by a disaster said they received advance warning, compared with a global figure of 80%. Some 59% of Iraqis and 56% of Lebanese said their governments do not care about them at all, against a global average of 29%.
Economic vulnerability and risk perception
The survey also highlighted deep economic fragility. More than half of households in Iraq, Jordan and Palestine said they would be unable to cover basic needs for a month if they lost their income. In Lebanon, 71% of respondents expressed concern that drinking water could cause serious harm to their health — the fifth-highest rate globally — while 90% said they were worried about violent crime, ranking sixth worldwide.
North Africa recorded the largest regional improvement, with a five-point rise on the resilience index since 2023 — the biggest increase of any region in the study. The report links gains in Algeria and Egypt to wider internet access, improved household preparedness and greater financial capacity to absorb crises.
Despite the region's high temperatures, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE were among the countries least concerned about heatwaves and drought. In Israel, the share of the population affected by a disaster during the period covered was under 1%.
Globally, around 1.1 billion adults experienced a disaster in the five years preceding the poll, and nearly 220 million received no advance warning. The gap between income groups was pronounced: roughly a third of adults in low-income countries reported being affected by a disaster in the previous five years, compared with 16% in high-income states. Only 64% of those affected in low-income countries received prior warnings, against 84% in high-income nations, and fewer than half of those warned in low-income and lower-middle-income countries took preventive action, compared with 71% in wealthier states.
The number of warning channels also affected behaviour: 37% of those alerted through a single channel took preventive action, rising to 51% for those reached through two and 64% for three, such as text messages, television and social media. Of the roughly 220 million people worldwide who experienced a disaster without advance warning, 77% owned a mobile phone, representing more than 170 million individuals.
The findings echo broader patterns seen in other regions, including Africa's recent resilience gains, and underscore the importance of government trust and multi-channel warning systems. As European policymakers and aid agencies look to strengthen disaster preparedness, the Gulf's success offers lessons in investment and communication, while the Levant's struggles highlight the urgent need for institutional reform and international support.
