Criora

South Africa

Region Africa Subregion Southern Africa Income Upper middle income ISO ZAF

South Africa sits mid-pack overall, with adaptation the main pressure.

Live events

Live now in South Africa

Hourly disaster feed, shown alongside the standing risk below. Open the live map →
Standing risk

How risky is South Africa, overall?

The composite and its five dimensions. Higher means more risk.

Composite risk
Medium
41 / 100
Very lowLowMediumHighCritical
  1. Climate
    Low
    32 / 100
  2. Nature
    Low
    27 / 100
    ▼ -0.3 5y
  3. Social
    Low
    32 / 100
  4. Governance
    Medium
    47 / 100
  5. Adaptation
    High
    64 / 100
    ▼ -0.5 5y
Score a site

But what about your exact location?

The country score is an average. Get the full risk breakdown for one address or point inside South Africa.

Where exactly?

Type an address, city, or landmark and we resolve it to a precise risk profile for that point.

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Trajectory

How South Africa's risk has shifted

Observed risk across the available record, against world and regional averages. Higher means more risk.

Hazard exposure

Which hazards threaten South Africa most?

Physical hazard intensity. INFORM Risk Index, 0 to 10.

Flood
Low
3.2 / 10
DRR capacity
High
6.4 / 10
Indicators

Indicator workbench

Every source-level indicator behind the dimensions above. Sort by score, value, or name.

Peers

How does South Africa compare to its neighbours?

Risk-ranked against its cohorts. Click any country to open its page.

subregion
Southern Africa
#1 of 5median 46
  1. 1South AfricaMedium 41
  2. 2BotswanaMedium 44
  3. 3eSwatiniMedium 46
  4. 4NamibiaMedium 47
  5. 5LesothoMedium 48
region
Africa
#4 of 54median 53
  1. 1MauritiusLow 34
  2. 2SeychellesLow 36
  3. 3Cabo VerdeLow 38
  4. 4South AfricaMedium 41
  5. 5São Tomé and PrincipeMedium 43
  6. 6BotswanaMedium 44
  7. 7RwandaMedium 45
  8. 8TunisiaMedium 46
  9. 9eSwatiniMedium 46
  10. 10NamibiaMedium 47
income group
Upper middle income
#14 of 53median 44
  1. 10Antigua and Barb.Low 38
  2. 11PalauLow 39
  3. 12MontenegroLow 40
  4. 13JamaicaMedium 40
  5. 14South AfricaMedium 41
  6. 15MaldivesMedium 41
  7. 16BelarusMedium 41
  8. 17CubaMedium 43
  9. 18TuvaluMedium 43
  10. 19North MacedoniaMedium 43

Put two countries head to head

Compare South Africa against any neighbour on all risks and their 5-year trajectory.

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FAQ

Common questions

Answer-first, drawn from the same data above.

How risky is South Africa?
South Africa sits mid-pack overall, with adaptation the main pressure. Its overall risk score is 41 out of 100 (medium), blended from World Bank, INFORM Risk Index and ND-GAIN Country Index.
What drives South Africa's risk?
South Africa's highest pressures are adaptation (64, high) and governance (47). Its strongest area is nature (27).
How might South Africa's climate change by 2080?
Under a high-emissions scenario (SSP5-8.5), about 12% of South Africa's land shifts toward a drier, more arid zone by 2080, lifting its climate-hazard pressure index from 68 to 68 out of 100. This Koppen-based outlook is a separate, forward-looking measure from the historical ND-GAIN scores.
When was South Africa's risk data last updated?
Updated June 2026, drawing on World Bank, INFORM Risk Index and ND-GAIN Country Index.