Preparing For The Next Pandemic: Countries With The Biggest Risks

InnovationSustainabilityPreparing For The Next Pandemic: Countries With The Biggest RisksByJoshua Pearce,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Joshua Pearce is a professor at Western University covering economics and sustainabilityFollow AuthorApr 22, 2026, 08:06am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Preparing to conduct disinfection.Getty ImagesHistorically, global pandemics cause enormous suffering and death. The Black Death (1346–1353) killed an estimated 75 to 200 million people across Eurasia and North Africa. The 1918–1920 Spanish flu pandemic killed an estimated 25 to 50 million people worldwide, with some studies suggesting the death toll could be as high as 100 million. It infected roughly one-third of the global population, causing a mortality rate that potentially claimed one in every 20 people on Earth. Most recently and well within the memories of everyone reading this article, over 7.1 million confirmed COVID-19 deaths have been reported to the World Health Organization. However, the total death toll is estimated to be significantly higher at nearly 15 million, when accounting for indirect causes and unreported deaths, representing almost three times the official count. This still is a drop in the bucket compared to the older global pandemics. The primary reason we did so much better this time around is that we were better prepared (e.g., vaccines, advanced medical care, global real-time communication, and distributed manufacturing of PPE with 3D printing, etc.). We, of course, still have lots of room for improvement but it is clear that the more prepared we are against a pandemic, the better we can protect the lives of millions. That is where a study from Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters (ALLFED) published in Risk Analysis comes in – it was awarded ‘Best Paper’ last year for laying out where preparing for a pandemic...