Assessment of social vulnerability in terms of natural hazards in Türkiye based on entropy method

Abstract This study aims to assess social vulnerability (SV) to disasters at the provincial level in Türkiye. Although there are few studies on the assessment of vulnerability to disasters in Türkiye, there is no recent study on SV assessment using an objective method at provincial level. In line with the aim of the study, SV indicators, sub-indicators and their variables were determined using a deductive approach, considering the relevant literature review and Türkiye’s socio-economic structure. Provinces in Türkiye were evaluated from a multidimensional perspective consisting of 9 sub-indicators and 34 variables representing under the indicators of demographic attributes, economic status, and adaptive capacity. Variables were weighted using the entropy method, and the results were evaluated at the provincial, geographical region, and national levels. According to entropy results, the top 5 variables with the highest weights are “Number of Syrians”, “Population Density”, “Single-Person Household”, “Extended Family Household”, and “Number of Women”. The findings show that SV index values of the provinces are between 0,093 and 0,853, most vulnerable province Istanbul is significantly different from the other provinces, while the least vulnerable province is Tunceli. Moreover, regionally, the Southeast Anatolia, Marmara and Mediterranean regions have the highest SV, respectively, while the Black Sea region has the least vulnerability. The study results will provide a reference for decision makers and practitioners for disaster risk reduction.