The 1983 drought in Ethiopia resulted in a loss of approximately 300,000 lives and is tied with storm Bhola in Bangladesh as the deadliest climate disaster since 1970. Four of the ten largest weather, climate, and water related disasters by mortality between 1970 and 2019 were related to droughts.
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World Meteorological Organization. (July 26, 2021). Leading weather, climate, and water related disasters between 1970 and 2019, by mortality (in 1,000s) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 07, 2026, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1267256/biggest-climate-disasters-by-deaths/
World Meteorological Organization. "Leading weather, climate, and water related disasters between 1970 and 2019, by mortality (in 1,000s)." Chart. July 26, 2021. Statista. Accessed May 07, 2026. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1267256/biggest-climate-disasters-by-deaths/
World Meteorological Organization. (2021). Leading weather, climate, and water related disasters between 1970 and 2019, by mortality (in 1,000s). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 07, 2026. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1267256/biggest-climate-disasters-by-deaths/
World Meteorological Organization. "Leading Weather, Climate, and Water Related Disasters between 1970 and 2019, by Mortality (in 1,000s)." Statista, Statista Inc., 26 Jul 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1267256/biggest-climate-disasters-by-deaths/
World Meteorological Organization, Leading weather, climate, and water related disasters between 1970 and 2019, by mortality (in 1,000s) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1267256/biggest-climate-disasters-by-deaths/ (last visited May 07, 2026)
Leading weather, climate, and water related disasters between 1970 and 2019, by mortality (in 1,000s) [Graph], World Meteorological Organization, July 26, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1267256/biggest-climate-disasters-by-deaths/
