Chernobyl Became History's Costliest Disaster

By one estimate, the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster is the costliest disaster in human history. Its economic toll is placed at about $700 billion before inflation, equivalent to approximately $2.06 trillion in 2025 dollars. The total is expected to continue to rise as cleanup operations and the economic impacts of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone are expected to continue indefinitely.

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