SDG Indicator 1.5.1 | Sustainable developments Goals

SDG Indicator 1.5.1: Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population

1. Key features and metadata

Definition: This indicator measures the number of people who died, went missing or were directly affected by disasters per 100,000 population.

Sub-indicator	Disaggregated by
VC_DSR_MISS Number of missing persons due to disaster (Number)	No current data disaggregation available.
VC_DSR_AFFCT Number of people affected by disaster (Number)
VC_DSR_MORT Number of deaths due to disaster (Number)
VC_DSR_MTMP Number of deaths and missing persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population (Number)
VC_DSR_MMHN Number of deaths and missing persons attributed to disasters (Number)
VC_DSR_DAFF Number of directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population (Number)
VC_DSR_IJILN Number of injured or ill people attributed to disasters (Number)
VC_DSR_PDAN Number of people whose damaged dwellings were attributed to disasters (Number)
VC_DSR_PDYN Number of people whose destroyed dwellings were attributed to disasters (Number)
VC_DSR_PDLN Number of people whose livelihoods were disrupted or destroyed, attributed to disasters (Number)

Sub-indicator

Disaggregated by

VC_DSR_MISS

Number of missing persons due to disaster (Number)

No current data disaggregation available.

VC_DSR_AFFCT

Number of people affected by disaster (Number)

VC_DSR_MORT

Number of deaths due to disaster (Number)

VC_DSR_MTMP

Number of deaths and missing persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population (Number)

VC_DSR_MMHN

Number of deaths and missing persons attributed to disasters (Number)

VC_DSR_DAFF

Number of directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population (Number)

VC_DSR_IJILN

Number of injured or ill people attributed to disasters (Number)

VC_DSR_PDAN

Number of people whose damaged dwellings were attributed to disasters (Number)

VC_DSR_PDYN

Number of people whose destroyed dwellings were attributed to disasters (Number)

VC_DSR_PDLN

Number of people whose livelihoods were disrupted or destroyed, attributed to disasters (Number)

Sources of information:Data collected from national line ministries, national disaster management agencies, civil protection agencies, and meteorological agencies via the Sendai Framework Monitor (UNDRR).

Related SDG Indicators: 11.5.1 and 13.1.1 (duplicates), 13.1.2 (Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies), and 13.1.3 (Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies).

2. Data availability by region, SDG Global Database, as of 02 July 2025

Figure 4.2 Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population

3. Proposed disaggregation, links to policymaking and its impact

Proposed disaggregation	Link to policymaking	Impact
Number of deaths and missing persons attributed to disasters/ Number of people affected by disaster, by administrative unit Applies to: VC_DSR_MMHN VC_DSR_AFFCT	This disaggregation helps policymakers understand the human cost of disasters, which is critical for taking pre-emptive and preventive actions. It is useful for gaining a clear view of the localization of the disaster impacts on human life. It is key information for developing policies for either disaster prevention and assessment or rescue and reconstruction operations, especially in the case of large-scale disasters. This information could be voluntarily reported as part of the Sendai Framework Monitor.	People can be affected in many ways by disasters, which can have severe impacts on material living conditions (e.g. a displaced, evacuated or relocated population), basic infrastructure (e.g. access to basic services and work), livelihoods and assets (i.e. physical, social, cultural, and environmental), or health (i.e. injury, illness or death). The information could be used to better protect people based on their sex, the poor and those in vulnerable situations as well as to reduce their exposure and build their resilience. Knowledge of the geographical location and type of hazard affecting the population is also relevant for achieving the four priorities of the Sendai Framework: understanding disaster risk; strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk; investing in disaster reduction for resilience; and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response(UN 2016a; UNDRR 2023).
Number of deaths and missing persons attributed to disasters/ Number of people affected by disaster, by hazard type and by sex(UNDRR 2017; UNEP and IUCN 2018; United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction -International Science Council [UNDRR-ISC] 2020): Cyclones Drought Floods Heatwaves and cold spells Coastal storms Fires Landslides Epidemics Applies to: VC_DSR_MMHN VC_DSR_AFFCT	With the increasing frequency and scale of climate-related events, a sound understanding of the nature of disasters, their gender-differentiated impact and related risks is essential to the development of risk reduction policies (UNEP and IUCN 2018). Each category of hazards has specific patterns of mortality and morbidity which are important to identify. This disaggregation is relevant for developing policies aimed at both disaster risk reduction and disaster management and related post-disaster interventions and are voluntarily reported as part of the Sendai Framework Monitor.

Proposed disaggregation

Link to policymaking

Impact

Number of deaths and missing persons attributed to disasters/ Number of people affected by disaster, by administrative unit

Applies to:

VC_DSR_MMHN
VC_DSR_AFFCT

This disaggregation helps policymakers understand the human cost of disasters, which is critical for taking pre-emptive and preventive actions. It is useful for gaining a clear view of the localization of the disaster impacts on human life. It is key information for developing policies for either disaster prevention and assessment or rescue and reconstruction operations, especially in the case of large-scale disasters.

This information could be voluntarily reported as part of the Sendai Framework Monitor.

People can be affected in many ways by disasters, which can have severe impacts on material living conditions (e.g. a displaced, evacuated or relocated population), basic infrastructure (e.g. access to basic services and work), livelihoods and assets (i.e. physical, social, cultural, and environmental), or health (i.e. injury, illness or death). The information could be used to better protect people based on their sex, the poor and those in vulnerable situations as well as to reduce their exposure and build their resilience.

Knowledge of the geographical location and type of hazard affecting the population is also relevant for achieving the four priorities of the Sendai Framework: understanding disaster risk; strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk; investing in disaster reduction for resilience; and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response(UN 2016a; UNDRR 2023).

Number of deaths and missing persons attributed to disasters/ Number of people affected by disaster, by hazard type and by sex(UNDRR 2017; UNEP and IUCN 2018; United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction -International Science Council [UNDRR-ISC] 2020):

Cyclones
Drought
Floods
Heatwaves and cold spells
Coastal storms
Fires
Landslides
Epidemics

Applies to:

VC_DSR_MMHN
VC_DSR_AFFCT

With the increasing frequency and scale of climate-related events, a sound understanding of the nature of disasters, their gender-differentiated impact and related risks is essential to the development of risk reduction policies (UNEP and IUCN 2018). Each category of hazards has specific patterns of mortality and morbidity which are important to identify. This disaggregation is relevant for developing policies aimed at both disaster risk reduction and disaster management and related post-disaster interventions and are voluntarily reported as part of the Sendai Framework Monitor.