The Global Delta Risk Index at Sub-National level analysis of multi-hazards risk in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (Bangladesh and India), Mekong and the Red river Deltas (Vietnam), 2025

The Global Delta Risk Index (GDRI) is a multi-hazard risk assessment framework designed to evaluate the vulnerability and resilience of river delta socio-ecological systems. It was developed mainly by researchers working on delta sustainability, disaster risk reduction, and environmental governance, including teams linked to the United Nations University, University of Glasgow and partner universities. The GDRI is a modular library of 143 indicators selected following consultations with stakeholders during workshops. After reviewing data availability, the current dataset comprises 47 indicators with data comparable across 3 deltas in 3 countries (India, Bangladesh, Vietnam). The GDRI combines several categories of data to measure risk in river deltas (please refer to the readme file for full explanation of the data categories):

1. Hazard data describing environmental threats affecting deltas, including: river flooding, coastal flooding, cyclones and storm surges, erosion, land subsidence, salinity intrusion, sea-level rise, and droughts and extreme rainfall. Additionally, multi-hazard layers are often derived from: remote sensing, climate models, hydrological and flood simulations, and national disaster databases.

2. Exposure data to identify what is exposed to hazards: population density, settlements and infrastructure, agricultural land, ecosystems (mangroves, wetlands, fisheries).

3. Vulnerability indicators, such as: poverty, malnutrition, access to sanitation and healthcare, education. gender inequality, livelihood dependence on natural resources, ecosystem degradation, and institutional capacity.

4. Coping and adaptive capacity data to measure the ability of communities and ecosystems to respond to hazards: governance quality, disaster preparedness, infrastructure access, social protection systems, ecological robustness, and community networks.

The GDRI was created because river deltas are among the world's most vulnerable regions under climate change and environmental pressure. The dataset explicitly aims to bridge the gap between disaster-risk frameworks and sustainability frameworks. The GDRI enables comparisons of different river deltas globally at sub-delta administrative scales. This dataset present the application been applied for the Mekong Delta, the Red River Delta and Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta.. The subnational Global Delta Risk Index 2025 gathered data from 28,608 villages across the Red River delta (Vietnam), the Mekong delta (Vietnam) and the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta (India and Bangladesh).