Four in five disaster-affected adults (80%) received at least one advance warning, but 36% of those warned were unable to take protective action, according to the World Risk Poll 2026.
The report, based on more than 143,000 interviews across 140 countries and territories, found that adults in low-income countries were nearly twice as likely to experience disasters as those in high-income countries.
Early warning coverage was 64% in low-income countries, compared with 84% in upper-middle- and high-income countries; Central and Western Africa recorded the lowest regional coverage at 47%.
The proportion of people taking protective action rose from 37% among those receiving one warning to 64% among those receiving three, highlighting the importance of multiple alerts.
More than 170 million disaster-affected adults who received no warning owned mobile phones, suggesting significant potential to expand access to early-warning systems.
Global survey of more than 143,000 people finds major gaps in disaster preparedness, with poorer countries facing greater exposure to disasters and lower access to early warnings.
Four in five adults (80 per cent) who experienced a disaster in the previous five years received at least one advance warning, but more than a third (36 per cent) of those warned were unable to take any protective action, according to a new global report.
The findings highlight a gap between warning people about impending disasters and ensuring they have the resources and ability to respond.
The World Risk Poll 2026 report, From Alert to Agency: What Turns Warnings into Action, was published on 13 October 2026 by Lloyd's Register Foundation, an independent global safety charity.
Based on more than 143,000 interviews conducted by Gallup across 140 countries and territories in 2025, the report examines people's exposure to disasters, access to early warnings and ability to act on the information they receive.
It found that people in poorer countries were more likely to experience disasters but less likely to receive warnings or take protective measures.
Poorer countries face greater risks, fewer warnings
Nearly a third (31 per cent) of adults in low-income countries reported experiencing a disaster in the previous five years, compared with 16 per cent in high-income countries.
Education also appeared to influence people's vulnerability to disasters.
In low-income countries, 37 per cent of adults with primary education or less reported being affected by a disaster, compared with 22 per cent of those with secondary education and 20 per cent of those with higher education.
Access to early warnings was also unequal.
Only 64 per cent of disaster-affected adults in low-income countries received advance warnings, compared with 84 per cent in upper-middle-income and high-income countries.
Even when warnings reached people, many were unable to respond.
Just 48 per cent of warned adults in low-income countries and 47 per cent in lower-middle-income countries reported taking protective action.
Central and Western Africa recorded the lowest regional warning coverage, with only 47 per cent of disaster-affected adults receiving advance alerts.
The findings suggest that improving warning coverage alone may not be enough to protect communities, particularly where people lack the financial resources or practical means to respond.
Philippines records highest reported disaster impact
The survey also revealed substantial geographical differences in disaster exposure.
Australia and New Zealand recorded the highest regional proportion of adults reporting disaster impacts in the previous five years, at 31 per cent.
Eastern Africa and South-eastern Asia followed, both at 28 per cent.
At the country level, the Philippines recorded the highest reported disaster impact rate, at 80 per cent, while Israel recorded less than 1 per cent.
These figures reflect the proportion of surveyed adults who reported experiencing disasters, rather than the number or severity of disasters in each country.
Multiple warnings increase likelihood of action
The report found that people who received warnings through multiple channels were more likely to take protective action.
Among those receiving one warning, 37 per cent reported taking action. This increased to 51 per cent among those receiving two warnings and 64 per cent among those receiving three.
The findings suggest that using multiple communication channels could improve the effectiveness of early-warning systems.
However, the figures show an association between receiving multiple warnings and taking action, rather than establishing that additional warnings alone caused people to respond.
Household preparedness and people's belief in their ability to influence outcomes were also strongly associated with protective action.
Among warned adults who had both a household disaster plan and a sense of personal agency, 83 per cent took action.
By contrast, only 27 per cent of those who had neither a disaster plan nor a sense of personal agency reported taking protective measures.
The findings indicate that people are more likely to respond to warnings when they have already considered what to do during an emergency and believe they can take effective action.
Mobile alerts could reach millions more people
The report identified mobile phones as a potential way to expand access to early warnings.
It found that 77 per cent of adults who had experienced a disaster but received no warning owned a mobile phone.
This represents more than 170 million people who could potentially be reached through mobile-based warning systems.
However, phone ownership does not necessarily guarantee that people will receive, understand or be able to act on alerts.
The report recommends expanding mobile-based warning systems, strengthening household disaster preparedness and prioritising communities with high disaster exposure but limited access to warnings.
It also calls on governments to make warnings more reliable, inclusive and practical, while addressing the financial and logistical barriers that prevent people from taking protective measures.