The frequency of floods has more than doubled since 2004, mainly as a result of the acceleration of the hydrological cycle caused by climate change. Consequently, the number of people affected also increased massively, with more than 3.000 deaths and economic losses worth more than €170 billion. However, these data are mainly coming from journalistic estimates, because the publicly available scientific data on the topic is fragmentary, incomplete, and uninformative.

An EDJNet investigation led by MIIR aimed at creating the first comprehensive pan-European database on floods through a combination of data from three different open databases.

Main findings:

• Between 2014 and 2024, at least 681,076 people were affected by floods in 24 European countries, although the actual number is likely to be higher, as data is not available for all floods.
• Spain, Greece, Germany, and Italy are the most affected countries by floods in Europe, although the whole Euro-Mediterranean region is severely afflicted by them. According to the most large-scale database on flood fatalities in this area, floods killed more than 3000 people over the last 35 years.
• In the last two years, 17 European countries have experienced 32 floods, affecting an area 1.5 times the size of Luxembourg. Overall, the area flooded in Europe in the same timeframe is larger than Rome, Paris and Berlin combined.
• Floods also have significant repercussions on agricultural land and natural ecosystems, as they affected 3,276,660 hectares of arable land, pastures, permanent crops and heterogeneous agricultural land, with serious effects on farmers’ livelihoods.
• Transport infrastructure makes no exception to this situation: in the last two years alone, floods have damaged a total of 4,256.2 km of road, rail, maritime, urban transport and aviation infrastructure in the whole of Europe. Similarly, 1,223.6 km of pipelines and communication infrastructure ended up being under water, mainly in intensely urbanized areas.
• Among the most crucial elements of this story is the rise of sea temperature in the Mediterranean, but also the lack of serious and consistent preventive measures put in practice by governments. Flood management should include mountain hydrology projects, but also “smart” dams and reforestation.

Stories

The data unit

EDJNet members which took part in this investigation:

Media uptakes

From EDJNet members:

• MIIR (Greece), Ταραγμένα Νερά: Ο πολλαπλός καταστροφικός αντίκτυπος των πλημμυρών στην Ευρώπη, 29/03/2025
• Atlatszo (Hungary), Troubled waters: Interactive map showing floods in Europe over the last two years, 31/03/2025
• Facta (Italy), “After the water”: fighting the mud and invisible wounds, 31/03/2025
• Civio (Spain), La DANA de Valencia frente a las grandes inundaciones europeas de los últimos años, 31/03/2025
• El Confidencial (Spain), Valencia, Tesalia y Baja Sajonia: así se comparan las peores inundaciones de Europa, 31/03/2025