Five Pakistani cities rank among the world’s 10 least resilient major cities to climate risk, highlighting the growing exposure of urban centres to extreme heat, flooding and other climate hazards.
The assessment by geospatial analytics company AlphaGeo covers 72 of the world’s largest cities. It measures both physical exposure to climate threats and cities’ ability to reduce those risks through adaptation measures.
According to the ranking, Hyderabad, Pakistan, placed second, followed by Multan in third, Lahore in fifth, Faisalabad in seventh, and Karachi in eighth among the least resilient cities. India’s Ahmedabad topped the list.
Heat Exposure Drives South Asian Risk
AlphaGeo’s report says the six major cities with the highest resilience-adjusted risk are all in South Asia: Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Multan, Dhaka, Kolkata and Lahore.
Hyderabad recorded a resilience-adjusted risk (RAJ) score of 41, the same as Ahmedabad. Multan scored 38, while Lahore recorded 35. A higher RAJ score indicates greater residual climate risk after adaptation measures are considered.
The report identifies heat exposure as a major factor behind the high risk levels in these cities. It also assesses hazards including inland and coastal flooding, heat stress, drought, wildfires and hurricane winds.
The assessment does not simply measure how much climate risk a city faces. It compares physical exposure with adaptation capacity, including measures intended to reduce the impact of climate hazards. AlphaGeo says cities with similar levels of physical risk can have substantially different outcomes depending on the strength of their adaptation efforts.
Pakistan Faces Growing Urban Climate Pressure
The findings come as Pakistan continues to face increasing pressure from extreme weather, heatwaves, flooding and rapid urban expansion.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination said in May that the federal government had begun consultations with UN-Habitat on the country’s first National Urban Strategy, with a focus on protecting cities from floods, heatwaves, water shortages and unregulated construction.
Recent research has also highlighted serious heat-related vulnerabilities in major Pakistani cities. A 2026 study found substantial urban heat-island effects in Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad and linked rapid urban expansion and declining vegetation to increased thermal risk.
The AlphaGeo report cautions that its figures are city-level averages, meaning climate risk can vary significantly between neighbourhoods within the same city.
For Pakistan, the ranking underscores the need for stronger urban planning, climate adaptation and infrastructure investment as cities face increasingly severe climate-related pressures.
