Earthquake List

• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Algeria
• Argentina
• Mendoza Province
• Armenia
• Australia
• Azerbaijan
• Bangladesh
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Chile
• China
• Sichuan Province
• Yunnan Province
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Cuba
• Cyprus
• DR. Congo
• Dominican Republic
• East Timor (Timor Leste)
• Ecuador
• Egypt
• El Salvador
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• France
• Fiji
• Georgia
• Germany
• Ghana
• Greece
• Guam
• Guatemala
• Haiti
• Iceland
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Israel
• Italy
• Irpinia
• Japan
• Jordan
• Kosovo
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Lebanon
• Malaysia
• Mexico
• Morocco
• Myanmar
• Nepal
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• Pakistan
• Palestine
• Panama
• Papua New Guinea
• Peru
• Philippines
• Portugal
• Azores
• Romania
• Vrancea County
• Russia
• Samoa
• Saudi Arabia
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• South Africa
• South Korea
• Spain
• Syria
• Taiwan
• Tajikistan
• Thailand
• Tonga
• Turkey
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Alaska
• California
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Montana
• Nevada
• Oklahoma
• Puerto Rico
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Utah
• Washington
• Vanuatu
• Venezuela
• Yemen

***

Deadliest earthquakes by year

Year	Magnitude	Location	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Event	Date
1939	7.8	Turkey, Erzincan Province	20.0	XII	At least 32,700 people were killed.	1939 Erzincan earthquake	December 27
1940	7.7	Romania, Vrancea County	133.0	X	1,000 people were killed in Romania and Moldova. Also known as Bucharest earthquake.	1940 Vrancea earthquake	November 10
1941	5.8	Yemen, Razih District	35.0	VIII	1,200 people were killed.	1941 Jabal Razih earthquake	January 11
1942	7.0	Turkey, Erbaa	10.0	IX	3,000 people were killed.	1942 Niksar–Erbaa earthquake	December 20
1943	7.5–7.7	Turkey, Çankırı	20.0	XI	Between 2,824 and 5,000 people were killed.	1943 Tosya–Ladik earthquake	November 27
1944	7.0	Argentina, San Juan	15.0	IX	10,000 people were killed.	1944 San Juan earthquake	January 15
1945	8.1	British India, Makran Coast	15.0	X	Between 300 and 4,000 people were killed.	1945 Balochistan earthquake	November 28
1946	7.8	Dominican Republic, Samana	15.0	IX	2,550 people were killed.	1946 Dominican Republic earthquake	August 4
1948	7.3	Soviet Union, Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic	15.0	X	Between 10,000 and 110,000 people were killed and the city of Ashgabat was completely destroyed.	1948 Ashgabat earthquake	October 6
1949	7.5	Soviet Union, Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic	18.0	IX	12,000 people were killed, mostly due to landslides that buried the city of Khait.	1949 Khait earthquake	July 10
1950	8.6	India, Assam	15.0	XI	It is the largest earthquake on land and the largest one to occur due to continental collision rather than plate subduction. 4,800 people were killed.	1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake	August 15
1951	6.5	El Salvador offshore	85.0		1,100 people were killed.	1951 El Salvador earthquake	May 6
1952	9.0	Soviet Union, Russian Soviet Socialist Republic	21.6	XI	Between 2,336 and 20,000 people were killed and a tsunami with a maximum height of 18 metres (59 ft).	1952 Severo-Kurilsk earthquake	November 5
1953	7.3	Turkey, Balıkesir Province	10.0	IX	1,070 people killed and US$3,570,000 in damages.	1953 Yenice–Gönen earthquake	March 18
1954	6.7	France, Chlef Province, Algeria	15.0	XI	1,243 people were killed and 5,000 injured. 6,000 homes collapsed.	1954 Chlef earthquake	September 9
1955	7.4	Philippines, Western Mindanao	35.0	VIII	At least 465 people were killed and severe damage along Lanao Lake.	1955 Lanao earthquake	March 31
1956	6.4	Iran, Hormozgan	15.0	VII	347 people killed.	1956 Hormozgan earthquake	October 31
1957	6.7	Iran, Hamadan	15.0	VII	1,200 people killed and major damage.	1957 Farsinaj earthquake	December 13
1958	6.7	Iran, Lorestan	15.0	VII	158 people were killed as well as major damage was reported.	1958 Lorestan earthquake	August 16
1959	7.3	United States, Wyoming	5.0	X	28 people were killed. Most of the deaths occurred due to landslides.	1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake	August 18
1960	5.8	Morocco, Souss-Massa	15.0	X	Worst earthquake in Moroccan history. Between 12,000 and 15,000 were killed.	1960 Agadir earthquake	February 29
1961	6.4	Iran, Fars province	15.0	VIII	60 people were killed.	1961 Fars earthquake	June 11
1962	7.0	Iran, Qazvin province	10.0	IX	12,225 killed and major property damage.	1962 Buin Zahra earthquake	September 1
1963	6.1	Yugoslavia, Macedonia	15.0	X	1,070 people killed and 80 percent of Skopje was destroyed.	1963 Skopje earthquake	July 26
1964	9.2	United States, Alaska	25.0	XI	It is the largest earthquake ever recorded in North America and the second largest in history, behind only the 1960 Valdivia earthquake. 131 people were killed, all but nine died from the tsunami.	1964 Alaska earthquake	March 27
1965	7.4	Chile, Valparaíso Region	70.0	IX	400 people were killed, mostly due to a dam failure caused by the quake.	1965 Valparaíso earthquake and the El Cobre dam failures	March 28
1966	6.8	China, Hebei	20.0	IX	8,064 killed and 38,000 injured. Largest in an earthquake sequence affecting the area during the month of March that year.	1966 Xingtai earthquakes	March 22
1967	6.6	Venezuela, Vargas	25.0	VIII	225 to 300 killed and 1,500+ injured. Major damage in Caracas.	1967 Caracas earthquake	July 29
1968	7.1	Iran, South Khorasan Province	10.0	X	15,900 people were killed in the earthquake and the subsequent aftershock the next day.	1968 Dasht-e Bayaz and Ferdows earthquakes	August 31
1969	6.4	China, Guangdong	20.0	VIII	3,000 killed. 46,700 houses damaged or destroyed. Felt in Hong Kong.	1969 Yangjiang earthquake	July 25
1970	7.9	Peru, Ancash	45.0	VIII	Worst earthquake in Peruvian history. Nearly 70,000 killed. Most of the deaths occurred as a result of an avalanche.	1970 Ancash earthquake	May 31
1971	6.9	Turkey, Bingöl	10.0	VIII	875 killed. 5,583 houses heavily damaged, 3,418 houses moderately damaged, and 3,638 houses slightly damaged.[1]	1971 Bingöl earthquake	May 22
1972	6.6	Iran, Fars	10.0	IX	The estimated number of deaths is 5,374, with a further 1,710 injured. Some sources say the death toll is as high as 30,000.	1972 Qir earthquake	April 10
1973	7.6	China, Sichuan	11.0	X	2,199 killed and 2,743 injured.	1973 Luhuo earthquake	February 6
1974	7.1	China, Yunnan	14.0	IX	Between 1,641 and 20,000 were killed.	1974 Zhaotong earthquake	May 10
1975	6.7	Turkey, Diyarbakır	26.0	IX	2,311 people were killed. The town of Lice was almost completely destroyed.	1975 Lice earthquake	September 6
1976	7.6	China, Hebei	12.2	XI	242,719 people were officially counted as dead, while some sources say the death toll is as high as 655,000. This is the deadliest earthquake of the 20th century and the third deadliest in recorded history.	1976 Tangshan earthquake	July 28
1977	7.5	Romania, Vrancea	85.3	IX	1,578 people were killed (1,424 of them in Bucharest) and 11,221 injured in Romania. In neighboring Bulgaria, 120 were killed and 165 were injured, while in Moldova (Moldovan SSR at the time), 2 people died.	1977 Vrancea earthquake	March 4
1978	7.4	Iran, Yazd	33.0	IX	Between 15,000 and 25,000 people were killed, 85 percent of them coming from Tabas.	1978 Tabas earthquake	September 16
1979	8.2	Colombia, Nariño	33.0	IX	Between 300 and 600 people were killed from the combined effects of the earthquake and tsunami, the latter causing most of the damage.	1979 Tumaco earthquake	December 12
1980	7.3	Algeria, Chlef	10.0	X	Between 2,633 and 5,000 people were killed and between 8,369 and 9,000 were injured. This is the largest earthquake to hit the Atlas Mountains since 1790.	1980 El Asnam earthquake	October 10
1981	6.6 & 7.1	Iran, Kerman	33.0	VIII & IX	Both earthquakes killed at least 3,000 people. The two events occurred six weeks from each other.	1981 Golbaf earthquake and 1981 Sirch earthquake	June 11 and July 28
1982	6.2	North Yemen, Dhamar	10.0	VIII	2,800 people were killed, 1,500 injured and 700,000 homeless.	1982 North Yemen earthquake	December 13
1983	6.6	Turkey, Erzurum	15.0	IX	1,340 people were killed and 50 settlements destroyed.	1983 Erzurum earthquake	October 30
1984	6.3	Japan, Nagano	2.0	VIII	14 people were killed, 10 were injured, and 15 missing.	1984 Nagano earthquake	September 13
1985	8.0	Mexico, Michoacán	20.0	IX	Between 5,000 and 45,000 were killed and 30,000 were injured. Mexico City was the worst hit, despite being relatively far from the epicenter.	1985 Mexico City earthquake	September 19
1986	5.7	El Salvador, San Salvador	10.0	IX	1,000–1,500 were killed and 10,000–20,000 injured. 200,000 were left homeless and extensive damage in San Salvador.	1986 San Salvador earthquake	October 10
1987	7.1	Ecuador, Sucumbíos	10.0	IX	More than 1,000 were killed and 5,000 missing.	1987 Ecuador earthquakes	March 6
1988	6.8	Soviet Union, Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic	5.0	X	Between 25,000 and 50,000 were killed and up to 130,000 were injured. An aftershock of ML 5.8 occurred shortly after. Four people were also killed in Turkey.	1988 Armenian earthquake	December 7
1989	5.3	Soviet Union, Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic	33.0	VII	More than 274 people were killed. Most of the casualties occurred due to landslides that buried three villages.	1989 Gissar earthquake	January 23
1990	7.4	Iran, Gilan	18.5	X	Between 35,000 and 40,000 people were killed, between 60,000 and 108,000 injured and 105,000 to 450,000 displaced throughout Northern Iran, most especially in the Manjil–Rudbar area and in Tehran. Slight damage also occurred in Azerbaijan (part of the Soviet Union at the time).	1990 Manjil–Rudbar earthquake	June 21
1991	6.8	India, Uttar Pradesh	11.6	IX	Between 768 and 2,000 people were killed, more than 1,800 injured and 18,000 buildings destroyed in the Chamoli–Uttarkashi area. Some damage occurred at Chandigarh and New Delhi.[2]	1991 Uttarkashi earthquake	October 20
1992	7.8	Indonesia, Flores Sea offshore	27.7	VIII	At least 2,500 people killed or missing in the Flores region, including 1,490 at Maumere and 700 on Babi. More than 500 people were injured and 90,000 were left homeless. Nineteen people killed and 130 houses destroyed on Kalaotoa. Severe damage, with approximately 90 percent of the buildings destroyed at Maumere by the earthquake and tsunami; 50 to 80 percent of the structures on Flores were damaged or destroyed. Damage also occurred on Sumba and Alor. The tsunami on Flores ran inland as much as 300 meters with wave heights of 25 meters. Landslides and ground cracks were reported at several locations on the island.[3]	1992 Flores earthquake and tsunami	December 12
1993	6.3	India, Maharashtra	10.0	VIII	At least 9,748 people were killed, about 30,000 were injured and extreme devastation in the Latur–Osmanabad area. Nearly all buildings were destroyed in the village of Khillari.	1993 Latur earthquake	September 29
1994	6.8	Colombia, Cauca	12.1	IX	At least 1,100 people killed, 500 missing, 13,000 homeless and severe damage caused to houses, highways and bridges by the earthquake and ensuing landslides in Cauca, Huila, Tolima and Valle departments. At least 200 homes were destroyed, including 25 at Toribio and 15 at Piendamo. Moderate structural damage occurred at Bogotá and Cali.	1994 Páez River earthquake	June 6
1995	6.9	Japan, Kobe	21.9	XI	6,434 people were killed, 43,792 injured and extensive damage occurred in the Kobe area and on Awaji-shima. Over 90 percent of the casualties occurred along the southern coast of Honshu between Kobe and Nishinomiya. At least 28 people were killed by a landslide at Nishinomiya. About 310,000 people were evacuated to temporary shelters. Over 200,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Numerous fires, gas and water main breaks and power outages occurred in the epicentral area.	1995 Kobe earthquake	January 17
1996	6.6	China, Yunnan	10.0	X	322 people were killed and 16,925 were injured. About 358,000 houses collapsed and 654,000 others were damaged. More than 320,000 people were left homeless.	1996 Lijiang earthquake	February 3
1997	7.3	Iran, Khorasan	10.0	X	2,394 people were killed, 2,300 were injured, 50,000 left homeless, 10,533 houses were destroyed, 5,474 houses damaged and landslides occurred in the Birjand–Qayen area.	1997 Qayen earthquake	May 10
1998	6.6	Afghanistan, Takhar	33.0	VII	At least 4,500 people were killed, many thousands injured and homeless in Badakhshan and Takhar Provinces.	May 1998 Afghanistan earthquake	May 30
1999	7.6	Turkey, İzmit	17.0	X	At least 17,127 people were killed, 43,953 injured. More than 250,000 people were left homeless in the affected cities.	1999 İzmit earthquake	August 17
2000	7.9	Indonesia, Enggano Island offshore	44.0	VI[4]	This earthquake killed at least 103 people and injured 2,585 others.	2000 Enggano earthquake	June 4
2001	7.7	India, Bhuj	16.0	X	20,085 people were killed, 166,800 people were injured and over a million buildings damaged or destroyed, this was the 3rd largest earthquake in India since 1900.	2001 Gujarat earthquake	January 26
2002	7.4 & 6.1	Afghanistan, Baghlan Province	8.0	VII	1,166 people were killed and 200 people were injured. A 45 meter wide fissure opened in Xiker Reservoir in Xinjiang, China.	2002 Hindu Kush earthquakes	March 3–25
2003	6.6	Iran, Bam	10.0	IX	26,271 people were killed and 30,000 people were injured. The city of Bam was catastrophically impacted with many buildings, including the Bam Citadel completely destroyed.	2003 Bam earthquake	December 26
2004	9.1	Indonesia, Sumatra offshore	30.0	IX	This is the third largest earthquake in the world since 1900 and is the largest since the 1964 Alaska earthquake. In total, at least 227,898 people were killed, many more injured and 1,126,900 were displaced by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 14 countries in South Asia and East Africa.	2004 Indian Ocean earthquake	December 26
2005	7.6	Pakistan, Balakot	15.0	XI	At least 87,351 people killed, more than 138,000 injured and extensive damage in Pakistan and India. The heaviest damage occurred in the Muzaffarabad area, Pakistan where entire villages were destroyed. In addition, approximately 250,000 farm animals died due to the collapse of stone barns, and more than 500,000 large animals required immediate shelter from the harsh winter.	2005 Kashmir earthquake	October 8
2006	6.4	Indonesia, Yogyakarta	10.0	IX	At least 28,903 people were killed, 137,883 were injured and as many as 779,287 people were displaced in the Bantul–Yogyakarta area.[5] More than 127,000 houses were destroyed and an additional 451,000 were damaged in the area, with the total loss estimated at 3.1 billion U.S. dollars.	2006 Yogyakarta earthquake	May 27
2007	8.0	Peru, Ica offshore	39.0	IX	At least 519 people killed, 1,090 injured and more than 39,700 buildings damaged or destroyed.	2007 Peru earthquake	August 15
2008	7.9	China, Sichuan	19.0	XI	At least 87,587 people killed, 374,643 injured and 18,392 missing and presumed dead. More than 45.5 million people in 10 provinces and regions were affected. At least 15 million people were evacuated from their homes and more than 5 million were left homeless. An estimated 5.36 million buildings collapsed and more than 21 million buildings were damaged. The total economic loss was estimated at 86 billion US dollars.	2008 Sichuan earthquake	May 12
2009	7.6	Indonesia, Padang offshore	90.0	VII[6]	At least 1,115 people killed, 2,181 injured, 181,665 buildings destroyed or damaged and about 451,000 people displaced in Padang. Damage estimated at 2.3 billion U.S. dollars.	2009 Sumatra earthquake	September 30
2010	7.0	Haiti, Léogâne	13.0	X	The earthquake killed between 92,000 and 316,000 people, and injured 300,000. With 1.3 million displaced, 97,294 houses were destroyed and 188,383 were damaged in the Port-au-Prince area and in much of southern Haiti.	2010 Haiti earthquake	January 12
2011	9.1	Japan, Sendai offshore	29.0	IX	At least 19,747 people killed, 2,556 missing, 6,242 injured, 130,927 displaced and at least 332,395 buildings, 2,126 roads, 56 bridges and 26 railways destroyed or damaged by the earthquake and tsunami along the entire east coast of Honshu from Chiba to Aomori.	2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami	March 11
2012	6.4	Iran, East Azerbaijan	9.0	VIII	At least 306 people killed, 3,037 injured, 4 villages destroyed and 60 heavily damaged in the epicentral area	2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes	August 11
2013	7.7	Pakistan, Balochistan	15.0	IX	At least 825 people killed, 700 people were injured and 21,000 houses destroyed or damaged in Balochistan	2013 Balochistan earthquakes	September 24
2014	6.2	China, Ludian County	10.0	IX	At least 729 people killed, 3,143 injured and 42,000 houses damaged or destroyed.	2014 Ludian earthquake	August 3
2015	7.8	Nepal, Gorkha District	8.2	X	At least 9,182 people killed, 25,482 injured, and 769,817 houses damaged or destroyed in Nepal in this earthquake and the M 7.3 aftershock on May 12.	April 2015 Nepal earthquake	April 25
2016	7.8	Ecuador, Esmeraldas	20.6	VIII[7]	At least 676 people killed, 27,732 injured and 7,000 buildings damaged or destroyed including most of the town of Pedernales and its surrounding urban areas.	2016 Ecuador earthquake	April 16
2017	7.3	Iran–Iraq border Region	19.0	IX	At least 630 people killed, more than 8,100 injured, 70,000 displaced, 12,000 buildings destroyed and 15,000 buildings damaged.	2017 Iran–Iraq earthquake	November 12
2018	7.5	Indonesia, Palu	20.0	X	At least 4,340 people killed, 10,679 and 1.5 million people displaced. most of the casualties and damage were caused by a tsunami up to 7 m (23 ft) in Donggala. There are unconfirmed reports that a tsunami up to 15 m (50 ft) was observed in Sigi Regency.	2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami	September 28
2019	6.4	Albania, Durrës	10.0	VIII	At least 51 people killed, 3,000 people injured and many buildings damaged or destroyed.	2019 Albania earthquake	November 26
2020	7.0	Greece  Turkey Aegean Sea	21.0	VIII	At least 119 people killed, 1,096 people were injured and a 6-meter (20 ft) high tsunami. Most of the casualties and damage occurred in Turkey	2020 Aegean Sea earthquake	October 30
2021	7.2	Haiti, Nippes	10.0	IX	At least 2,248 people killed, 12,763 people were injured and 136,800 buildings destroyed in Les Cayes	2021 Haiti earthquake	August 14
2022	6.0	Afghanistan, Khost	10.0	VIII	At least 1,163 people were killed and 6,027 others injured. Many homes were destroyed.	June 2022 Afghanistan earthquake	June 21
2023	7.8	Turkey, Southeastern Anatolia  Syria, Aleppo and Idlib Governorates	17.9 10.0	XII	At least 59,259 people were killed, 107,204 people were injured after a Mw 7.8 earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, followed by a Mw 7.7 aftershock occurring a few hours later.	2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake	February 6

Largest earthquakes by year

Year	Magnitude	Location	Depth (km)	MMI	Notes	Deaths	Injuries	Event	Date
1937	7.8	China, Qinghai	15.0	VIII	–	0	0	[8]	January 7
1938	8.5–8.6	Dutch East Indies, Maluku offshore	60.0	VII	A damaging tsunami up to 1.5 meters high was reported across the Banda Sea region.	0	0	1938 Banda Sea earthquake	February 1
1939	8.1	Dutch East Indies, Central Sulawesi offshore	150.0	VII	–	0	0	[9]	December 21
1940	8.2	Peru, Lima	45.0	VIII	A tsunami up to 2 meters high was generated without major damage.	179–300	3,500	1940 Lima earthquake	May 24
1941	8.0	Japan, Miyazaki offshore	35.0	VII	A tsunami up to 1.2 meters high was observed in Kyushu and Shikoku.	2	0	1941 Hyūga-nada earthquake	November 18
1942	8.2	Peru, Ica	35.0	IX	In Callao, the amplitude of the tsunami’s oscillations was 1.6 meters.	30	25	1942 Peru earthquake	August 24
1943	7.9–8.2	Chile, Coquimbo	35.0	VIII	A minor tsunami caused local damage along the coast.	11	0	1943 Ovalle earthquake	April 6
1944	8.1	Japan, Wakayama offshore	30.0	VIII	A destructive tsunami which had a height of 10 meters caused severe damage in the Tōkai region.	1,223	2,135	1944 Tonankai earthquake	December 7
1945	8.1	India, Balochistan offshore	15.0	X	A destructive 15-metre high tsunami was observed in the Makran Coast.	4,000	0	1945 Balochistan earthquake	November 27
1946	8.6	United States, Alaska offshore	15.0	VI	Most of the casualties and damage occurred in Hawaii, where a 17-metre high tsunami was observed. At least five people also died in Unimak Island.	173	0	1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake	April 1
1947	7.6	Dutch East Indies, Papua offshore	15.0	VI	–	0	0	[10]	May 27
		Peru, Junin	20.0	IX	Severe damage and landslides. Felt as far away as Lima.	2,233	0	1947 Satipo earthquake	November 1
1948	7.8	Philippines, Panay	15.0	X	Extensive damage. A 2-meter tsunami was also triggered.	50	0	1948 Lady Caycay earthquake	January 24
1949	8.0	Canada, Haida Gwaii	10.0	VIII	Minor damage was reported and a 0.6 meter tsunami was triggered.	0	0	1949 Queen Charlotte Islands earthquake	August 22
1950	8.6	India–China, Assam–Tibet border region	15.0	XI	This was the strongest earthquake ever recorded on land.	4,800	0	1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake	August 15
1951	7.8	Taiwan, East Rift Valley	30.0	VII	This was the strongest earthquake in a sequence of events.	85	1,200	1951 East Rift Valley earthquakes	November 24
1952	9.0	Soviet Union, Kamchatka	21.6	XI	The death toll from this earthquake and resulting tsunami may be as high as 17,000.	2,336	0	1952 Severo-Kurilsk earthquake	November 4
1953	7.9	Japan, Yokohama	25.0	V	–	1	0	[11]	November 25
1954	7.8	Spain, Andalusia	626.2	IV	–	0	0	[12]	March 29
1955	7.5	New Zealand, Kermadec Islands	15.0	I	–	0	0	[13]	February 27
1956	7.7	Greece, Dodecanese Islands	20.0	IX	The earthquake triggered a 30 m (98 ft) high tsunami.	56	0	1956 Amorgos earthquake	July 9
1957	8.6–9.1	United States, Aleutian Islands, Alaska	25.0	VIII	A 10 meter high tsunami led to most of the damage.	2	0	1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake	March 9
1958	8.3	Soviet Union, Kuril Islands	35.0	X	A tsunami up to 5 m (16 ft) high caused most of the damage.	0	51	1958 Kuril Islands earthquake	November 6
1959	7.9	Soviet Union, Kamchatka	55.0	VIII	A tsunami up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) high occurred in the Aleutian Islands.	1	13	1959 Kamchatka earthquake	May 4
1960	9.5	Chile, Valdivia	25.0	XII	This is the most powerful earthquake recorded since 1900. A tsunami up to 25 m (82 ft) high occurred.	6,000	11,000	1960 Valdivia earthquake	May 22
1961	7.6	Peru, Madre de Dios Region	612.2	IV	–	0	0	[14]	August 19
1962	7.5	Fiji offshore	390.0	I	–	0	0	[15]	May 21
1963	8.5	Soviet Union, Kuril Islands	35.0	IX	–	0	0	1963 Kuril Islands earthquake	October 13
1964	9.2	Alaska, Prince William Sound	25.0	XI	Most of the deaths were caused by a tsunami, which was the largest earthquake-produced tsunami ever recorded at a height of 67.0 m (219.8 ft). This is the second most powerful earthquake in modern times and the most powerful in North America.	131	0	1964 Alaska earthquake	March 27
1965	8.7	Alaska, Aleutian Islands	30.3	VI[16]	A tsunami up to 10.7 m (35 ft) occurred, but caused little damage. This is the second most powerful earthquake in Alaska and the United States as a whole.	0	0	1965 Rat Islands earthquake	February 3
1966	8.1	Peru, Arequipa	38.0	IX	A 3.4 m (11 ft) high tsunami occurred.	125	3,000	1966 Peru earthquake	October 17
1967	7.4	Turkey, Sakarya Province	30.0	X	–	86	0	1967 Mudurnu earthquake	July 22
1968	8.3	Japan, Hokkaidō	26.0	VIII	A majority of the casualties were from a 6 m (20 ft) high tsunami.	52	330	1968 Tokachi earthquake	May 16
1969	8.2	Soviet Union, Kuril Islands	30.0	VIII	–	0	0	[17]	August 11
1970	8.0	Colombia, Amazonas Department	644.8	IV	This was one of the most powerful deep-focus earthquakes ever recorded.	1	4	1970 Colombia earthquake	July 31
1971	8.1	Papua New Guinea, Kokopo	37.0	IX	An 8.0 event occurred 12 days earlier.[18]	3	5	1971 Solomon Islands earthquakes	July 26
1972	8.0	Philippines, Mindanao	60.0	VII	–	0	0	[19]	December 2
1973	7.8	Japan, Hokkaidō	43.3	VIII	A 5.98 m (19.6 ft) high tsunami occurred.	0	27	1973 Nemuro earthquake	June 17
1974	8.1	Peru, Lima	13.0	IX	Severe damage in the Lima area.	78	2,400	1974 Lima earthquake	October 3
1975	7.9	north Atlantic Ocean	33.0	VI	Some damage was reported in Madeira, Portugal.[20] The tsunami measured 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in).	0	0	1975 North Atlantic earthquake	May 26
		Papua New Guinea, Bougainville Island	49.0	VIII	A 2 m (6 ft 7 in) tsunami destroyed a few homes.	0	0	[21]	July 20
1976	8.0	Philippines, Moro Gulf	33.0	VIII	Further casualties from a 9 m (30 ft) tsunami.	8,000	10,000	1976 Moro Gulf earthquake	August 17
		New Zealand, Kermadec Islands offshore	33.0	VII	Some damage was reported in Raoul Island.[22]	0	0	[23]	August 17
1977	8.3	Indonesia, Bima	25.0	VI	The earthquake was felt as far away as Albany in Australia. The tsunami measured 5.8 m (19 ft).	189	1,100	1977 Sumba earthquake	August 19
1978	7.7	Japan, Miyagi	44.0	VIII	6,757 buildings destroyed or badly damaged. The earthquake also triggered a 60 cm (2.0 ft) tsunami.	28	1,325	1978 Miyagi earthquake	June 12
1979	8.2	Colombia, Nariño offshore  Ecuador, Esmeraldas offshore	24.0	IX	A tsunami up to 6 m (20 ft) high was triggered.[citation needed]	600	0	1979 Tumaco earthquake	December 12
1980	7.9	Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz Islands	33.0	VI	–	0	0	[24]	July 17
1981	7.7	Samoa, Apia	25.0	VI	One person drowned in a 1 m (3 ft 3 in) tsunami.	1[25]	0	[26]	September 1
1982	7.3	El Salvador, Offshore	73.0	VII	–	43	0	1982 El Salvador earthquake	June 19
1983	7.6	Papua New Guinea, New Ireland	88.8	VII	In areas close to the epicentre, landslides occurred and trees were uprooted, and a 25 cm (0.82 ft) tsunami was observed.	0	0	[27]	March 18
1984	7.6	Solomon Islands, Honiara	18.1	VIII	Some landslides occurred.	0	0	[28]	February 7
1985	8.0	Mexico, Mexico City	27.9	IX	At least 3,536 buildings damaged or destroyed. A 3.0 m (9.8 ft) tsunami was observed on the Mexican coast, although some estimates put the height at 30 m (98 ft)[29]	10,000	30,000	1985 Mexico City earthquake	September 19
1986	8.0	United States, Aleutian Islands, Alaska	19.0	VII	Minor damage was reported in areas near the epicenter. A 10 ft (3.0 m) tsunami struck Hawaii, more than 4,000 km (2,500 mi) away.[30]	0	0	[31]	May 7
1987	7.9	United States, Gulf of Alaska	10.0	VI	Minor damage near the epicentre and a small tsunami was observed.	0	0	[32]	November 30
1988	7.7	Myanmar–China border region	17.8	X	Some damage was also reported in Myanmar and Thailand.	938	7,700	1988 Lancang–Gengma earthquakes	November 6
1989	8.0	Australia, Macquarie Island	10.0	V	–	0	0	[33]	May 23
1990	7.8	Philippines, Luzon	24.4	IX	–	1,621	3,000	1990 Luzon earthquake	July 16
1991	7.7	Costa Rica, Limón	10.0	IX	A 4 m (13 ft) tsunami was observed.	127	759	1991 Limon earthquake	April 22
1992	7.8	Indonesia, Sunda Islands	23.5	VIII	A 25 m (82 ft) tsunami occurred.	2,500	0	1992 Flores earthquake and tsunami	December 12
1993	7.8	Guam, Offshore	59.3	IX	71 people were injured and a 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) tsunami was observed.	0	71	1993 Guam earthquake	August 8
1994	8.3	Russia, Kuril Islands	3.0	IX	A 3.5 m (11 ft) tsunami was observed.	12	1,742	1994 Kuril Islands earthquake	October 5
1995	8.0	Chile, Antofagasta	30.5	VII	–	3	59	1995 Antofagasta earthquake	July 30
1996	8.2	Indonesia, Biak	11.5	VIII	A 7 m (23 ft) tsunami occurred.	166	423	1996 Biak earthquake	February 17
1997	7.7	Russia, Kamchatka Peninsula	23.5	VIII	An 8.2 m (27 ft) tsunami was observed.	0	0	1997 Kamchatka earthquake	December 5
1998	8.1	Antarctica, Balleny Islands	10.0	VI	Believed to be the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in this area to date.	0	0	1998 Balleny Islands earthquake	March 25
1999	7.7	Taiwan, Nantou County	15.5	IX	At least 105,479 buildings damaged or destroyed.	2,444	11,305	1999 Jiji earthquake	September 21
2000	8.0	Papua New Guinea, New Ireland	13.0	VII	One person killed in a landslide, another from a heart attack. Two 7.8 Mw  aftershocks occurred the following day.	2	0	2000 New Ireland earthquakes	November 16
2001	8.4	Peru, Arequipa	33.0	VIII	At least 90 drowned in a 7 m (23 ft) tsunami.	145	2,713	2001 southern Peru earthquake	June 23
2002	7.9	United States, Alaska	4.2	IX	It is the largest earthquake in Alaska in 16 years.	0	1	2002 Denali earthquake	November 3
2003	8.3	Japan, Hokkaidō	23.5	IX	Two missing. A 4 m (13 ft) tsunami observed.	0	849	2003 Tokachi earthquake	September 26
2004	9.1–9.3	Indonesia, Sumatra	10.0	IX	Majority of the deaths associated a tsunami that devastated parts of Southeast Asia and Eastern Africa. The tsunami measured 51 m (167 ft) in Banda Aceh.	227,898	125,000	2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami	December 26
2005	8.6	Indonesia, Simeulue	21.0	IX	Ten fatalities in Sri Lanka due to evacuations. A 3 m (9.8 ft) tsunami damaged an airport.	1313	300	2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake	March 28
2006	8.3	Russia, Kuril Islands	10.0	VI	1 person injured when a tsunami struck with heights of 15 m (49 ft).	0	1	2006 Kuril Islands earthquake	November 15
2007	8.4	Indonesia, Sumatra	34.0	VIII	A 3 m (9.8 ft) tsunami observed.	23	0	September 2007 Sumatra earthquakes	September 12
2008	7.9	China, Sichuan	19.0	XI	–	87,587	374,177	2008 Sichuan earthquake	May 12
2009	8.1	Samoa, Offshore	18.0	VII	A tsunami up to 14 m (46 ft) struck the Samoan coast.	189	7	2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami	September 29
2010	8.8	Chile, Concepción	22.9	IX	A 10 m (33 ft) tsunami struck the Chilean coast.	550	12,000	2010 Chile earthquake	February 27
2011	9.1	Japan, Honshu	29.0	IX	A tsunami up to 40.5 m (133 ft) struck the Tohoku coast.	19,747	6,000	2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami	March 11
2012	8.6	Indonesia, Indian Ocean	20.0	VII	An 8.2 Mw  aftershock occurred a few hours later.	10	12	2012 Indian Ocean earthquakes	April 11
2013	8.3	Russia, Sea of Okhotsk	598.1	VI	Felt as far away as Moscow.	0	0	2013 Okhotsk Sea earthquake	May 24
2014	8.2	Chile, Iquique	25.0	VIII	–	6	9	2014 Iquique earthquake	April 1
2015	8.3	Chile, Coquimbo	22.4	IX	–	21	34	2015 Illapel earthquake	September 16
2016	7.9	Papua New Guinea, New Ireland	94.5	VII	–	0	0	2016 Solomon Islands earthquakes#December 17 earthquake	December 17
2017	8.2	Mexico, Chiapas	47.4	IX	–	98	250	2017 Chiapas earthquake	September 7
2018	8.2	Fiji, Offshore	600.0	V	–	0	0	2018 Fiji earthquake	August 19
2019	8.0	Peru, Loreto	122.6	VIII	–	2	0	2019 Peru earthquake	May 26
2020	7.8	United States, Alaska Peninsula offshore	28.0	VII	Foreshock to the 8.2 in 2021, along with an event in October.	0	0	July 2020 Alaska Peninsula earthquake	July 22
2021	8.2	United States, Alaska Peninsula offshore	32.2	VII	This is the largest earthquake in the United States since 1965.	0	0	2021 Chignik earthquake	July 28
2022	7.6	Papua New Guinea, Morobe	61.4	VIII	Extensive damage. Felt as far away as Indonesia.	21	42	2022 Papua New Guinea earthquake	September 11
		Mexico, Michoacán	25.5	VIII	Extensive damage. Felt as far away as Mexico City. A magnitude 6.8 aftershock two days later caused three additional fatalities.	2	35	2022 Michoacán earthquake	September 19
2023	7.8	Turkey, Southeastern Anatolia	17.9	XII	Felt as far as Beirut; another 7.7 Mw  earthquake followed hours after.	57,350+	130,000+	2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake	February 6

*******

Largest earthquakes by magnitude

Listed below are all the 45 known earthquakes with an estimated magnitude of 8.5 or higher since 1501. Limited to a timeframe with enough data, this gives a rough estimate of its frequency per century (The timeframe does not include outlying events like the earlier 1498 Meiō earthquake, 1420 Caldera earthquake, 1361 Shōhei earthquake, 1356 Lisbon earthquake, 869 Jōgan earthquake, and 365 Crete earthquake, each estimated to have magnitude ≥8.5.).

Prior to the development and deployment of seismographs – starting around 1900 – magnitudes can only be estimated, based on historical reports of the extent and severity of damage.^[35]

***********

Prior to the development and deployment of seismographs – starting around 1900 – magnitudes can only be estimated, based on historical reports of the extent and severity of damage.^[35]

Rank	Date	Location	Event	Magnitude
1	May 22, 1960	Valdivia, Chile	1960 Valdivia earthquake	9.4–9.6
2	June 11, 1585	Pacific Ocean, Aleutian Islands (now Alaska, United States)	1585 Aleutian Islands earthquake	9.25 (est.)
3	July 8, 1730	Valparaiso, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire)	1730 Valparaíso earthquake	9.1–9.3 (est.)[36]
4	March 27, 1964	Prince William Sound, Alaska, United States	1964 Alaska earthquake	9.2
5	December 26, 2004	Sumatra, Indonesia	2004 Indian Ocean earthquake	9.1–9.3
6	March 11, 2011	Pacific Ocean, Tōhoku region, Japan	2011 Tōhoku earthquake	9.1
7	October 17, 1737	Kamchatka Peninsula, Russian Empire	1737 Kamchatka earthquake	9.0–9.3 (est.)
8	November 17, 1837	Valdivia, Chile	1837 Valdivia earthquake	8.8–9.5 (est.)[37]
9	December 16, 1575	Valdivia, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire)	1575 Valdivia earthquake	9.0 (est.)
10	November 24, 1604	Arica, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire)	1604 Arica earthquake	9.0 (est.)
11	October 28, 1707	Pacific Ocean, Shikoku region, Japan	1707 Hōei earthquake	8.7–9.3 (est.) [38]
12	November 25, 1833	Sumatra, Indonesia (then part of the Dutch East Indies)	1833 Sumatra earthquake	8.8–9.2 (est.)
13	May 17, 1841	Kamchatka, Russian Empire	1841 Kamchatka earthquake	9.0 (est.)
14	November 4, 1952	Kamchatka, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union	1952 Severo-Kurilsk earthquake	9.0
15	January 26, 1700	Pacific Ocean, US and Canada (then claimed by the Spanish Empire and the British Empire)	1700 Cascadia earthquake	8.7–9.2 (est.)
16	August 13, 1868	Arica, Chile (then Peru)	1868 Arica earthquake	8.5–9.3 (est.)
17	March 9, 1957	Andreanof Islands, Alaska, United States	1957 Andreanof Islands earthquake	8.6–9.1
18	November 26, 1852	Banda Islands, Indonesia (then part of the Dutch East Indies)	1852 Banda Sea earthquake	8.8 (est.)[39]
19	May 9, 1877	Iquique, Chile (then Peru)	1877 Iquique earthquake	8.7–8.9 (est.)
20	January 31, 1906	Ecuador – Colombia	1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake	8.8
21	February 27, 2010	Maule, Chile	2010 Chile earthquake	8.8
22	November 1, 1755	Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon, Portugal	1755 Lisbon earthquake	8.5–9.0 (est.)
23	October 20, 1687	Lima, Peru (then part of the Spanish Empire)	1687 Peru earthquake	8.7 (est.)
24	October 28, 1746		1746 Lima–Callao earthquake	8.6–8.8 (est.)
25	February 3, 1965	Rat Islands, Alaska, United States	1965 Rat Islands earthquake	8.7
26	April 2, 1762	Chittagong, Bangladesh (then Kingdom of Mrauk U)	1762 Arakan earthquake	8.5–8.8 (est.)
27	March 28, 1787	Oaxaca, Mexico (then part of the Spanish Empire)	1787 New Spain earthquake	8.6 (est.)
28	February 2, 1816	Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon, Portugal	1816 North Atlantic earthquake	8.6 (est.)
29	April 1, 1946	Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States	1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake	8.6
30	August 15, 1950	Assam, India – Tibet, China	1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake	8.6
31	March 28, 2005	Sumatra, Indonesia	2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake	8.6
32	April 11, 2012	Sumatra, Indonesia	2012 Indian Ocean earthquakes	8.6
33	November 10, 1922	Atacama Region, Chile	1922 Vallenar earthquake	8.5–8.6
34	February 1, 1938	Banda Sea, Indonesia (then part of the Dutch East Indies)	1938 Banda Sea earthquake	8.5–8.6
35	May 13, 1647	Santiago, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire)	1647 Santiago earthquake	8.5 (est.)
36	July 25, 1668	Shandong, China	1668 Shandong earthquake	8.5 (est.)[40]
37	May 24, 1751	Concepción, Chile (then part of the Spanish Empire)	1751 Concepción earthquake	8.5 (est.)
38	March 31, 1761	Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon, Portugal	1761 Lisbon earthquake	8.5 (est.)[41]
39	April 4, 1819	Copiapó, Chile	1819 Copiapó earthquake	8.5 (est.)[37]
40	November 19, 1822	Valparaíso, Chile	1822 Valparaíso earthquake	8.5 (est.)
41	February 20, 1835	Concepción, Chile	1835 Concepción earthquake	8.5 (est.)
42	February 8, 1843	Guadeloupe region, Lesser Antilles	1843 Guadeloupe earthquake	8.5 (est.)[42]
43	February 16, 1861	Sumatra, Indonesia (then part of the Dutch East Indies)	1861 Sumatra earthquake	8.5 (est.)
44	June 15, 1896	Pacific Ocean, Tōhoku region, Empire of Japan	1896 Sanriku earthquake	8.5 (est.)
45	October 13, 1963	Kuril Islands, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union	1963 Kuril Islands earthquake	8.5

Century	Number of magnitude ≥8.5
1501–1600	2
1601–1700	5
1701–1800	9
1801–1900	13
1901–2000	11
2001–present	5
Total	45

Historical records are known to be incomplete. Earthquakes that occurred in remote areas prior to the advent of modern instrumentation in the early to mid 1900s were not well-reported, and exact locations and magnitudes of such events are often unknown. Therefore, the apparent increase in large earthquake frequency over the last few centuries is unlikely to be accurate, with the better interpretation that, had the list been more complete, then a dozen or so per century would be average.

Largest earthquakes by country/territory

• This list is a work in progress. Information is likely to be changed.
• The list refers to current country boundaries rather than those at the date of the earthquake.
• Please note, multiple countries could have the same earthquake listed, such as the 1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake being listed for both Ecuador and Colombia.
• Unless otherwise noted, magnitudes are reported on the Moment magnitude scale (M_w).

Country/Territory	Magnitude	Date	More information
Afghanistan	7.8	November 15, 1921	[43]
Albania	6.7	November 30, 1967	[44]
Algeria	7.1	October 10, 1980	1980 El Asnam earthquake
American Samoa	6.4	October 11, 1944	[45]
Andorra	6.7 Me	February 2, 1428	1428 Catalonia earthquake
Angola	6.0	May 24, 1914	[46]
Anguilla	6.3	February 16, 1906	[47]
Antarctica	8.1	March 25, 1998	1998 Balleny Islands earthquake
Antigua and Barbuda	8.0 Ms	April 16, 1690	[48]
Argentina	7.5 Ms	October 27, 1894	1894 San Juan earthquake
Armenia	6.8 Ms	December 7, 1988	1988 Armenian earthquake
Australia	8.1	December 23, 2004	2004 Tasman Sea earthquake
Austria	5.6–6.5	September 15, 1590	1590 Neulengbach earthquake
Azerbaijan	7.0–7.3	September 30, 1139	1139 Ganja earthquake
Bangladesh	8.5–8.8	April 2, 1762	1762 Arakan earthquake
Barbados	6.5	February 18, 2014 & July 16, 2015	[49][50]
Belgium	6.0–6.5 Ms	September 18, 1692	[51]
Belize	4.7 mb	June 28, 1985	[52]
Benin	4.4 mb	September 11, 2009	[53]
Bhutan	7.6–8.6	May 4, 1714	1714 Bhutan earthquake
Bolivia	8.2	June 9, 1994	1994 Bolivia earthquake
Bosnia and Herzegovina	6.1	October 27, 1969	1969 Banja Luka earthquake
Botswana	6.7 ML	October 11, 1952	[54]
Brazil	7.6	November 9, 1963	[55]
British Indian Ocean Territory	7.3	November 30, 1983	1983 Chagos Archipelago earthquake
Brunei	5.2 mb	February 22, 1992	[56]
Bulgaria	7.2	March 31, 1901 & April 4, 1904	1901 Black Sea earthquake & 1904 Kresna earthquakes
Burundi	5.4	October 30, 1966	[57]
Cameroon	5.9	September 12, 1945	[58]
Canada	8.7–9.2	January 26, 1700	1700 Cascadia earthquake
Cape Verde	6.5	August 15, 1941	[59]
Caribbean Netherlands	5.2	March 10, 2017	[60]
Cayman Islands	7.7	January 28, 2020	2020 Caribbean earthquake
Central African Republic	4.9 mb	February 6, 1994	[61]
Chile	9.4–9.6	May 22, 1960	1960 Valdivia earthquake
China	8.6	August 15, 1950	1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake
Cocos Islands	7.9	June 18, 2000	[62]
Colombia	8.8	January 31, 1906	1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake
Comoros	6.2	August 23, 1918	[63]
Congo	5.2	April 26, 1998	[64]
Costa Rica	7.7	April 22, 1991	1991 Limon earthquake
Croatia	6.7	July 2, 1898	1898 Trilj earthquake
Cuba	7.1	February 20, 1917	[65]
Cyprus	7.0–7.5	May 11, 1222	1222 Cyprus earthquake
Czech Republic	4.8 ML	December 23, 1985	[66]
Democratic Republic of the Congo	6.9	December 13, 1910	[67]
Denmark	4.4 mb	February 19, 2010	[68]
Djibouti	6.5	August 20, 1989	[69]
Dominica	6.4	January 8, 1959	[70]
Dominican Republic	7.8	August 4, 1946	1946 Dominican Republic earthquake
East Timor	7.2	September 29, 1905	[71]
Ecuador	8.8	January 31, 1906	1906 Ecuador–Colombia earthquake
Egypt	7.3	November 22, 1995	1995 Gulf of Aqaba earthquake
El Salvador	8.0 MI	December 19, 1862	[72]
Equatorial Guinea	4.9 mb	March 28, 1999	[73]
Eritrea	6.6	December 28, 1977	[74]
Estonia	4.5–4.7 mb	October 25, 1976	Osmussaar earthquake
Eswatini	4.4 mb	August 4, 1987	[75]
Ethiopia	6.5	August 25, 1906	[76]
Fiji	8.2	August 19, 2018	2018 Fiji earthquakes
Finland	4.7 Muk	November 4, 1898	[77]
France	6.4–6.5 Muk	January 25, 1799	1799 Vendée earthquake
French Guiana	6.9	August 4, 1885	[78]
French Polynesia	5.6	March 6, 1965	[79]
Gabon	6.0	September 23, 1974	[80]
Georgia	7.0	April 29, 1991	1991 Racha earthquake
Germany	6.4 ML	February 18, 1756	1756 Düren earthquake
Ghana	6.4	June 22, 1939	[81]
Greece	8.5+	July 21, 365	365 Crete earthquake
Greenland	7.4	November 20, 1933	1933 Baffin Bay earthquake
Grenada	7.0 Ms	December 3, 1831	[82]
Guadeloupe	8.5 Muk	February 8, 1843	1843 Guadeloupe earthquake
Guam	7.8	August 8, 1993	1993 Guam earthquake
Guatemala	7.7	August 6, 1942	1942 Guatemala earthquake
Guinea	6.3	December 22, 1983	1983 Guinea earthquake
Guyana	5.5	January 31, 2021	[83]
Haiti	8.1 Ms	May 7, 1842	1842 Cap-Haïtien earthquake
Honduras	7.5	January 10, 2018	2018 Swan Islands earthquake
Hong Kong	3.8 ML	January 5, 2020	[84]
Hungary	6.2–6.5	June 28, 1763	1763 Komárom earthquake
Iceland	7.0	January 22, 1910	[85]
India	8.6	August 15, 1950	1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake
Indonesia	9.1–9.3	December 26, 2004	2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
Iran	7.9 Ms	December 22, 856	856 Damghan earthquake
Iraq	7.0	September 22, 1666	[86]
Ireland	4.0 ML	June 6, 2012	[87]
Israel	7.3 Me	December 5, 1033	1033 Jordan Rift Valley earthquake[88]
Italy	7.4	January 11, 1693	1693 Sicily earthquake
Jamaica	7.7	January 28, 2020	2020 Caribbean earthquake
Japan	9.0–9.1	March 11, 2011	2011 Tōhoku earthquake
Jersey	5.4	July 30, 1926	[89]
Jordan	7.0 Muk	January 18, 749	749 Galilee earthquake
Kazakhstan	8.0	July 11, 1889 & January 3, 1911	1889 Chilik earthquake & 1911 Kebin earthquake
Kenya	6.7	January 6, 1928	[90]
Kiribati	5.9 mb	May 23, 1982	[91]
Kosovo	6.1 ML	February 26, 1755 & August 10, 1921	[92]
Kuwait	4.7 mb	June 2, 1993 & November 11, 2020	[93][94]
Kyrgyzstan	8.0	July 11, 1889 & January 3, 1911	1889 Chilik earthquake & 1911 Kebin earthquake
Laos	6.7	December 22, 1925	[95]
Lebanon	7.5	July 9, 551	551 Beirut earthquake
Liberia	4.5 mb	November 25, 1995	[96]
Libya	6.8	April 19, 1935	[97]
Liechtenstein	3.6	December 12, 2013	[98]
Luxembourg	2.9 ML	September 3, 1986	[99]
Madagascar	6.2	July 4, 1919	[100]
Malawi	6.3	March 10, 1989	1989 Malawi earthquake
Malaysia	6.6	August 11, 1923	[101]
Maldives	7.4	February 29, 1944	[102]
Mali	4.2 mb	January 11, 1999	[103]
Malta	5.5	April 21, 2023	[104]
Marshall Islands	5.7	March 22, 1982	[105]
Martinique	7.5–8.0	January 11, 1839	1839 Martinique earthquake
Mauritania	4.6 mb	September 3, 1993 & March 1, 2012	[106][107]
Mauritius	6.4	June 19, 1976	[108]
Mayotte	5.9	May 15, 2018	[109]
Mexico	8.6	March 28, 1787	1787 New Spain earthquake
Micronesia	7.8	August 16, 1911	[110]
Moldova	3.9 mb	April 2, 1988	[111]
Monaco	6.3	July 19, 1963	[112]
Mongolia	8.3	July 23, 1905	1905 Bolnai earthquake
Montenegro	6.9	April 15, 1979	1979 Montenegro earthquake
Morocco	6.5–7.0	November 27, 1755	1755 Meknes earthquake
Mozambique	7.0	February 22, 2006	2006 Mozambique earthquake
Myanmar	8.5–8.8	2 April 1762	1762 Arakan earthquake
Namibia	5.4	April 4, 2021	[113]
Nepal	8.2–8.8	June 6, 1505	1505 Lo Mustang earthquake
Netherlands	5.3	April 13, 1992	1992 Roermond earthquake
New Caledonia	7.9	August 9, 1901	[114]
New Zealand	8.2	January 23, 1855 & May 1, 1917	1855 Wairarapa earthquake[115]
Nicaragua	7.7	September 2, 1992	1992 Nicaragua earthquake
Niger	4.6 mb	January 18, 2017	[116]
Nigeria	4.5 mb	March 7, 2000	[117]
North Korea	7.7	September 29, 1973	[118]
North Macedonia	6.7	March 8, 1931	[119]
Northern Mariana Islands	7.7	December 28, 1940 & July 29, 2016	[120][121]
Norway	6.8	August 30, 2012	[122]
Oman	5.7	March 30, 1966	[123]
Pakistan	8.1	November 28, 1945	1945 Balochistan earthquake
Palau	6.5	May 31, 1982	[124]
Palestine	7.0 Muk	January 18, 749	749 Galilee earthquake
Panama	7.9–8.3 Ms	September 7, 1882	1882 Panama earthquake
Papua New Guinea	8.2	May 6, 1919	[125]
Paraguay	6.5	February 28, 1989	[126]
Peru	8.5–9.3	August 13, 1868	1868 Arica earthquake
Philippines	8.3	August 15, 1918	1918 Celebes Sea earthquake
Poland	5.6	December 3, 1786	[127]
Portugal	8.5–9.0	November 1, 1755	1755 Lisbon earthquake
Puerto Rico	8.0	May 2, 1787	1787 Boricua earthquake
Réunion	5.3 mb	April 6, 2007	[128]
Romania	7.9	October 26, 1802	1802 Vrancea earthquake
Russia	9.0–9.3	October 16, 1737	1737 Kamchatka earthquake
Rwanda	5.9	February 3, 2008	2008 Lake Kivu earthquake
Saint Barthélemy	5.4	November 18, 1990	[129]
Saint Kitts and Nevis	6.5	March 16, 1985	[130]
Saint Lucia	7.3	March 19, 1953	[131]
Saint Martin	5.0	July 4, 2012	[132]
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	7.2	November 18, 1929	1929 Grand Banks earthquake
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	6.1	July 6, 1940	[133]
Samoa	8.3–8.5	June 25, 1917	1917 Samoa earthquake
São Tomé and Príncipe	5.5	December 19, 2019	[134]
Saudi Arabia	7.3	November 22, 1995	1995 Gulf of Aqaba earthquake
Senegal	5.5	May 21, 1986	[135]
Serbia	6.0	May 15, 1927	[136]
Seychelles	5.2 mb	April 28, 1995	[137]
Slovakia	6.2–6.5	June 28, 1763	1763 Komárom earthquake
Slovenia	6.1 ML	April 14, 1895	1895 Ljubljana earthquake
Solomon Islands	8.1	April 1, 2007	2007 Solomon Islands earthquake
Somalia	6.0	January 22, 1929	[138]
South Africa	6.8	December 31, 1932	[139]
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	8.1–8.3	August 12, 2021	2021 South Sandwich Islands earthquakes
South Korea	7.5	June 26, 1681	1681 Yangyang earthquake [ko]
South Sudan	7.2	May 20, 1990	1990 South Sudan earthquakes
Spain	7.8	March 29, 1954	[140]
Sri Lanka	5.7	August 30, 1973	[141]
Sudan	6.0	May 12, 1938	[142]
Sweden	4.9 mb	May 18, 2020	[143]
Switzerland	6.0–7.1	October 18, 1356	1356 Basel earthquake
Syria	7.6 Ms	May 20, 1202	1202 Syria earthquake
Taiwan	8.2	June 5, 1920	1920 Hualien earthquake
Tajikistan	7.5	July 10, 1949	1949 Khait earthquake
Tanzania	7.0	July 8, 1919	[144]
Thailand	6.1	May 5, 2014	2014 Mae Lao earthquake
Tonga	8.3–8.5	June 25, 1917	1917 Samoa earthquake
Trinidad and Tobago	6.7	March 10, 1988 & April 22, 1997	[145][146]
Tunisia	≤7.2	October 9, 859	[147]
Turkey	7.8–8.0 Ms	August 17, 1668	1668 North Anatolia earthquake
Turkmenistan	7.3 Ms	October 6, 1948	1948 Ashgabat earthquake
Tuvalu	5.8 mb	February 5, 1983 & March 8, 1983	[148]
Uganda	6.5	June 30, 1952	[149]
Ukraine	6.7	September 11, 1927	1927 Crimean earthquakes
United Arab Emirates	5.0	March 11, 2002	[150]
United Kingdom	6.1 ML	June 7, 1931	1931 Dogger Bank earthquake
United States	9.25	June 11, 1585	1585 Aleutian Islands earthquake
U.S. Virgin Islands	7.2	November 18, 1867	1867 Virgin Islands earthquake and tsunami
Uruguay	5.5 Ms	June 5, 1888	1888 Río de la Plata earthquake
Uzbekistan	7.4 Ms	October 21, 1907	1907 Qaratog earthquake
Vanuatu	8.1	September 20, 1920	[151]
Venezuela	7.6–7.7	October 29, 1900	1900 San Narciso earthquake
Vietnam	6.8	November 1, 1935	[152]
Wallis and Futuna	7.6	May 23, 1956	[153]
Yemen	6.7	December 18, 1908	[154]
Zambia	6.5	May 1, 1919	[155]
Zimbabwe	5.5	September 25, 1963	[156]

Costliest earthquakes

This is the top ten major earthquakes by the dollar value of property (public and private) losses directly attributable to the earthquake.

Rank	Event	Location	Magnitude	Property damage
1	2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami	Japan	9.1	$360 billion[157][158]
2	1995 Great Hanshin earthquake	Japan	6.9	$200 billion[159]
3	2008 Sichuan earthquake	China	7.9	$150 billion[160]
4	2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake	Turkey Syria	7.8	$105.1 billion[161]
5	2011 Christchurch earthquake	New Zealand	6.3	$40 billion[162]
6	2004 Chūetsu earthquake	Japan	6.6	$28 billion[163][164]
7	2011 Sikkim earthquake	India	6.9	$22.3 billion[165]
8	1999 İzmit earthquake	Turkey	7.6	$20 billion[163]
9	2009 L’Aquila earthquake	Italy	6.3	$16 billion[166]
10	2012 Northern Italy earthquakes	Italy	6.1	$15.8 billion[167]

Deadliest earthquakes

The following is a summary list of earthquakes with over approximately 100,000 deaths:

Deadliest earthquakes^[168]

Rank	Event	Date	Location	Fatalities	Magn­itude	Notes
1	1556 Shaanxi earthquake	January 23, 1556	Shaanxi, China	100,000 (direct toll from quake), (820,000–830,000 (highest possible estimated death toll))[169]	8.0	Estimated death toll in Shaanxi, China
2	1976 Tangshan earthquake	July 28, 1976	Hebei, China	242,769–700,000+[170][171][172]	7.8
3	1920 Haiyuan earthquake	December 16, 1920	Ningxia–Gansu, China	273,400[170][173]	7.8	Major fractures, landslides.
4	526 Antioch earthquake	May 21, 526	Antioch, Byzantine Empire (modern-day Turkey)	250,000[174]	7.0[175]	Procopius (II.14.6), sources based on John of Ephesus.
5	1139 Ganja earthquake	September 30, 1139	Ganja, Seljuk Empire (modern-day Azerbaijan)	230,000–300,000[176]	7.0 Mw	Death toll may have been a historical conflation with earthquakes on November 1137 in the Jazira plain and the 1138 Aleppo earthquake.
6	2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami	December 26, 2004	Sumatra, Indonesia	227,898	9.1–9.3	Became the deadliest tsunami on record, causing nearly 230,000 deaths from the earthquake and resulting tsunami across 14 countries.
7	1138 Aleppo earthquake	October 11, 1138	Aleppo, Seljuk Empire (modern-day Syria)	130,000–230,000[177]	7.1[177]	The figure of 230,000 dead is based on a historical conflation of this earthquake with earthquakes in November 1137 on the Jazira plain and on September 30, 1139, in the Azerbaijani city of Ganja. The first mention of a 230,000 death toll was by Ibn Taghribirdi in the fifteenth century.[178]
8	2010 Haiti earthquake	January 12, 2010	Haiti	100,000–316,000 (estimates)	7.0	Estimates vary from 316,000 (Haitian government) to 222,570 (UN OCHA estimate)[179] to 158,000 (Medicine, Conflict and Survival) to between 85,000 and 46,000 (report commissioned by USAID).[180][181]
9	1303 Hongdong earthquake	July 25, 1303	Shanxi, Yuan dynasty (modern-day China)	200,000[182]	8.0	Taiyuan and Pingyang were leveled.
10	856 Damghan earthquake	December 22, 856	Damghan, Abbasid Caliphate (modern-day Iran)	200,000	7.9 Ms
11	893 Ardabil earthquake	March 22, 893	Ardabil, Abbasid Caliphate (modern-day Iran)	150,000	Unknown	Reports probably relate to the 893 Dvin earthquake, due to misreading of the Arabic word for Dvin, ‘Dabil’ as ‘Ardabil’.[183] This is regarded as a ‘fake earthquake’.[184]
12	533 Aleppo earthquake	November 29, 533	Aleppo, Byzantine Empire (modern-day Syria)	130,000[185]	Unknown
13	1908 Messina earthquake	December 28, 1908	Messina, Italy	123,000[186]	7.1	The ground shook for 30 to 40 seconds around 5:20 am, and destruction occurred within a 300 km radius. 91% of structures in Messina were destroyed and ~70,000 residents died. Rescuers searched for weeks, and whole families were pulled out alive days later. A 40-foot (12 m) tsunami struck nearby coasts. Reggio Calabria on the Italian mainland also suffered heavy damage.
14	1948 Ashgabat earthquake	October 6, 1948	Ashgabat, Turkmen SSR (modern-day Turkmenistan)	10,000–110,000	7.3 Ms
15	1923 Great Kantō earthquake	September 1, 1923	Kantō region, Japan	105,385[187]	7.9	This earthquake with an epicenter beneath Izu Ōshima Island in Sagami Bay, shook the Kantō plain on the Japanese island of Honshū at 11:58 am. Shaking duration reported between 4 and 10 minutes, devastating Tokyo, Yokohama, Chiba, Kanagawa, and Shizuoka.[188] Shaking slid the 93-ton Great Buddha statue at Kamakura almost 2 feet (0.61 m) forward. Casualty estimates range from 100,000 to 142,800, the latter figure including ~40,000 missing later presumed dead.
16	1290 Zhili earthquake	September 27, 1290	Ningcheng, Yuan dynasty (modern-day China)	100,000[189]	6.8 Ms

Most studied earthquakes

The 50 most studied earthquakes according to the International Seismological Centre (ISC), based on a count of scientific papers (mostly in English) that discuss that earthquake. The “Event #” is linked to the ISC Event Bibliography for that event.