2026 Roadmap for EM-DAT

2025: A Turning Point for the EM-DAT Emergency Events Database

After more than 20 years of support, the USAID grant that helped sustain EM-DAT’s core work has come to an end. This comes at a time when disaster risks and their impacts are increasingly visible, yet the attention, resources, and political commitment needed to address them are under pressure. In this context, reliable, open disaster data are more important than ever.

At the same time, EM-DAT is being used by a growing and increasingly diverse community, from researchers and public institutions to humanitarian actors and the media. Expectations for timely, transparent, and comparable disaster data continue to rise, while the resources needed to meet them are under strain.

This is why we are reaching out to our users, partners, and the wider community. EM-DAT has always been built with and for its users, and its future now depends on collective engagement. We invite you to get in touch, start a conversation, and explore how each of us can help support the continuity and growth of EM-DAT. And if EM-DAT matters to your work, we would like to hear from you.

As we begin the new year, we wish you a thoughtful and resilient 2026, and we thank you for your continued interest, trust, and support.

Niko Speybroeck, for the EM-DAT Team.

Governance Evolution

To better align governance with EM-DAT’s strategic objectives, several changes will be implemented starting in 2026.

Scientific and Technical Advisory Group (STAG)

The annual physical meeting of the STAG will be paused. This decision reflects the need to reassess formats and mechanisms for scientific guidance considering evolving priorities and resource constraints. Information on the STAG framework remains available here.

Scientific Committees

The Scientific Committee of EM-DAT will be revamped to strengthen its role in:

• Improving the scientific quality and internal consistency of EM-DAT data,
• Fostering and reinforcing open science practices,
• Advancing FAIR data principles, i.e., Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability, across EM-DAT products and workflows.

Advisory Board

A new Advisory Board will be established with a broader strategic mandate, including:

• Supporting the search for sustainable and diversified funding,
• Defining and monitoring the social and scientific objectives of the EM-DAT project,
• Enhancing coordination and partnerships with global, regional, and thematic stakeholders.

Annual Report and 2025 Disaster Overview

The year 2026 will begin with the annual validation of the 2025 disaster events, followed by the publication of the EM-DAT Annual Report. The year 2025 was marked by a series of catastrophic natural hazards that resulted in significant human and economic losses. The earthquake in Myanmar (March 2025) was the deadliest, whereas the California wildfires (January 2025) inflicted the most substantial economic damage, confirming that annual economic losses >200 billion $USD have become the new normal for the 2020s.

This report will provide:

• A validated global overview of all disasters recorded in 2025,
• Key figures and trends, including mortality, affected populations, and economic losses,
• Methodological notes, highlighting data improvements, and remaining uncertainties.

New Services and Access Models

EM-DAT remains committed to keeping its core data as open and accessible as possible. To reconcile openness with financial sustainability, the following strategy will be pursued:

• Continued free access to EM-DAT data for non-commercial use,
• Strengthening and stabilizing revenue streams from commercial subscription plans,
• Development of a premium plan offering enhanced features, including:
  • Advanced dashboards,
  • Extended services for API access,
  • Additional analytical and customization options.

These developments aim to support long-term sustainability while preserving EM-DAT’s public-good mission.

Increasing Data Value and Reusability

Over the past two years, EM-DAT has conducted regular user surveys, providing valuable insights into user needs and limitations of current data products.

Building on this feedback, EM-DAT will intensify collaboration with the scientific community and regional partners to:

• Strengthen the spatial accuracy of disaster reporting,
• Improve the representation of multi-hazard and compound events,
• Actively reduce missing events and systematic biases, particularly through:
  • Regional collaborations,
  • The establishment of regional data hubs managed by local stakeholders,
• Continue leveraging expert and stakeholder networks to address persistent challenges, such as:
  • Improving the accessibility and comparability of economic loss data,
  • Enhancing the estimation and harmonization of heatwave-related mortality worldwide, especially in countries lacking robust Civil Registration and Vital Statistics systems.