Once again, Malta has been named the second-safest place to live in the world in terms of safety from natural disasters. The World Risk Report is developed by the United Nation’s University Institute for Environment and Human Security, and evaluated a total of 172 countries worldwide.

Malta has one of the lowest disaster risk rates in the world - the second lowest, in fact, right after Qatar. “[Malta and Qatar] are only very slightly endangered by natural hazards and have a low to very low societal vulnerability.” In the ranks, Malta occupied the 171^st place and Qatar the 172^nd.

On the flip side, Vanuatu, Tonga, and the Philippines occupy the highest spots on the charts. “In these countries, exposure to extreme natural events such as cyclones or earthquakes is very high.”

The report also highlighted the plight of children in particular, and the risks of physical injury and death they face during natural disasters.  “In the chaos following natural disasters, the rights of young people guaranteed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child are often neglected to the point of criminality,” World Risk Report and Executive Director of Bündnis Entwicklung Hilft Peter Mucke says. “In extreme situations like these, children require better support, for instance, in the form of child protection centers, where they receive food, care, and education.”