Lifestyle

The 10 riskiest cities to live in

There are some places in the world where your chance of being killed by a natural disaster is at its peak.

By 2050, 6.3 billion people are expected to be living in urban areas, increasing the risk that a devastating natural event could wipe out huge populations.

Many growing cities are near the coast and are threatened constantly by extreme storms, floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters.

But fear not, we have a list of the places you should maybe take off your bucket list. Swiss Re have released a recent report ranking 616 of the world’s urban centers by how prone they are to extreme weather events.

Here are the top 10 riskiest cities to live in. If you are moving there, prepare yourself.

10. Tehran, Iran

A commercial street in downtown Tehran.AP

The entire 13.6 million population of the Iranian capital, Tehran, is exposed to the Northern Anatolian fault line. It is one of the most dangerous spots in the world. There hasn’t been a quake there since 1830, but due to the lax building regulations, the city is running on borrowed time.

9. Los Angeles, United States

Los AngelesAP

The California city is on the San Andreas Fault, making it highly prone to earthquakes. The 14.7 million residents live in fear of a major catastrophe.

8. Shanghai, China

Ships sail up the Huangpu River in Shanghai.Getty Images

Flooding is a common risk in China, due to the country being built on flood plains and river deltas. Shanghai is a high-threat area with 11.7 million people.

7. Kolkata, India

A crowded market in Kolkata.Reuters

Flooding is a large threat in this city of 10.5 million people. Kolkata is also the fifth-highest risk for tsunamis and the residents are on alert for cyclones.

6. Nagoya, Japan

NayogaShutterstock

The area of the Pacific is dominated by the risk of tsunamis, with the most exposed country along the active faults being Japan. Although a tsunami is the least devastating of the main natural disasters, it can have a death toll of immeasurable proportions.

5. Jakarta, Indonesia

A flooded river in downtown Jakarta.Getty Images

Almost half of Jakarta is below sea level, making earthquakes a major risk to the 17.7 million people who reside there. The ground is made up of soft soil, which can amplify the tremors, causing even further damage. Along with its risk of flooding, Jakarta is one of the most volatile cities in the world.

4. Osaka-Kobe, Japan

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In 1995, thousands of people were killed when an earthquake rocked Osaka-Kobe. The 14.6 million inhabitants live with the constant threat of massive devastation hanging over their heads. Storm surges from cyclonic winds also heighten the risk of danger, with the possibility of massive waves being created and smashing the coastal city. Osaka-Kobe is also the third city most prone to tsunamis on the planet.

3. Pearl River Delta, China

Macau, along the Pearl River Delta in China.Shutterstock

This is one of the most densely urbanized regions in the world and one of the main hubs of China’s economic growth. The amount of risk in this rapidly forming megacity is heightened by the sheer number of people — 42 million and growing. It is in the path of destructive storm surges (5.3 million affected), cyclonic wind damage (17.2 million) and river flooding.

2. Manila, Philippines

Manila, capital of the PhilippinesGetty Images

The city is crisscrossed by several fault lines that have caused Manila to endure several deadly earthquakes, which caused mass destruction to the medieval city. Like the rest of the Philippines, Manila sits inside the Pacific Typhoon Belt — smashing the city with six or seven cyclones every year. The powerful typhoon Haiyan that hit last year was one of the strongest ever to make landfall.

1. Tokyo-Yokohama, Japan

TokyoShutterstock

With the constant threat of earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and monsoons, this region is the riskiest on the planet. The threat to locals of earthquake reaches 80 percent of the population of Tokyo, and tsunamis are a realistic fear due to the city sitting on the Ring of Fire active faults.

In 1923, the area was devastated by a quake that killed 142,800 people.

Please note via the Swiss Re report: Residents are counted multiple times when affected by more than one peril because each peril is accounted for individually. This could mean the total affected number of people could be higher than the population.

This article originally appeared on News.com.au.Â