Tropical cyclones (TCs) are prominent natural hazards in the Guangdong Province, China; hence, comprehensive risk assessment is vital to reduce potential losses due to TC hazards. A multi-indicator system was developed by incorporating 19 criteria under 3 risk components and a combination of the analytic hierarchy process and index of entropy was adopted to generate a TC risk map. Spatial statistics were applied to determine the spatial association and significant TC risk hotspots. The TC risk map showed that ∼40% of the study area is classified as a high or extremely high TC risk. Areas with the highest risk are mainly concentrated in the eastern region (ER), western region (WR), and Zhuhai and Shenzhen in the Pearl River Delta (PRD), whereas other areas in the PRD and mountainous region (MR) in the inland are classified as zones with the lowest risk. The results of the spatial autocorrelation analysis showed a significant positive spatial clustering in the spatial pattern of the TC risk, suggesting a varying spatial distribution and clustering pattern of the TC risk level that can be used as preliminary planning framework for tropical cyclone risk management. The results of this study provide theoretical reference for the design of disaster mitigation measures. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.