This 2025 UNICEF study quantifies the costs of disasters among children and young people using the latest data sources. In Australia, the increasing risk of disasters is driven by the convergence of climate change impacts and the growing concentration of people and assets in high-risk locations (like the coastal regions and floodplains in Lyne).
Over the past 25 years, insured losses from disasters have steadily increased -- as has also insurance premiums! In 2021, Deloitte Access Economics estimated that disasters cost the Australian economy $38 billion annually, with costs projected to rise to $73 billion by 2060. Floods remain the most costly hazard, followed by bushfires and storms.
The social costs often persist longer and disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, especially children and especially those in remote areas, from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and with Indigenous children more likely to be impacted.
To find out more read this report by Deloitte Access Economics ...