Brazil is facing a significant rise in climate-related disasters. From 2020 to 2023, the country recorded 7,539 climate incidents, a staggering 222% increase compared to the 2,335 from the 1990s. The number of municipalities affected soared from 27% to 83%. A major cause of this turmoil is rainfall, which accounts for 86% of the deaths linked to these disasters.
Recent reports show that about 8.7 million people were displaced by floods from 2020 to 2023. In 2025 alone, nearly 337,000 people were directly affected, causing losses that exceeded R$2.9 billion. The Southeast region suffered the most, totaling R$1.1 billion in damages.
Tragically, in January 2025, heavy rains led to ten fatalities in Ipatinga, Minas Gerais. The most significant injuries occurred in Manacapuru, Amazonas, affecting 5,202 people. Amazonas also reported the highest number of displaced residents, with over 4,000 people affected by floods in Beruri.
According to climatologist Jose Marengo, who is involved with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “Brazil’s climate Achilles’ heel is landslides.” He emphasizes that flash floods and landslides are particularly deadly.
Historically, Brazil has seen some devastating events. The deadliest climate disaster on record occurred in Caraguatatuba, São Paulo, in March 1967, when landslides killed at least 436 people. The rainfall that day was so severe that the rain gauge couldn’t measure it beyond 420 millimeters.
Experts, including Marengo, are working hard to study these disasters. Their goal is to identify patterns and improve future disaster response. In Minas Gerais, for instance, 283 out of 853 municipalities are at significant risk during the rainy season, threatening about 1.4 million people.
Nationwide, 1,942 municipalities face similar hazards, impacting nearly 149 million people. Among them, 8.9 million are at significant risk. Marengo notes that these disasters often strike the same areas year after year.
The challenges stem not just from natural disasters but also from where people choose to live. Homes built close to hillsides or streams increase vulnerability, especially for children, the elderly, and those with limited mobility. This risk can worsen with poor public policy, which complicates planning and response efforts.
The Municipalities most affected in recent years include Jaboatão dos Guararapes in Pernambuco, followed by Manaus and São Paulo. The electricity sector has also felt the impact, particularly in the Paraná, São Francisco, and Tocantins-Araguaia river basins, where droughts pose risks to power generation.
Additionally, 2025 saw a series of severe tornadoes and cyclones hit the South, with one tornado in Paraná reaching frightening wind speeds of up to 418 kilometers per hour.
As Brazil grapples with these mounting challenges, the research and data gathered will hopefully inform better disaster preparedness and response strategies in the future. For more detailed insights, you can refer to the Cemaden report.
