Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1900 in a Sortable Table of the Top 25
The deadliest earthquake since 1900 struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 that killed 316,000 people by the official count. Next come the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in China, with 242,769 deaths, and the 1920 Haiyuan earthquake, also in China, with 235,502. Taken together, the 25 deadliest earthquakes since 1900 killed about 2.01 million people.
The 25 deadliest earthquakes since 1900 (Live Atlas, from NOAA)
25 earthquakes · 2,013,624 deaths
| Earthquake | Country | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2010 | Haiti (Port-au-Prince) | Haiti | 7.0 | 316,000† |
| 2 | 1976 | Tangshan | China | 7.5 | 242,769 |
| 3 | 1920 | Haiyuan | China | 8.3 | 235,502 |
| 4 | 2004 | Indian Ocean (Sumatra) | Indonesia | 9.1 | 227,899 |
| 5 | 1948 | Ashgabat | Turkmenistan | 7.2 | 110,000 |
| 6 | 1923 | Great Kantō (Tokyo) | Japan | 7.9 | 105,385 |
| 7 | 2008 | Sichuan | China | 7.9 | 87,652 |
| 8 | 1908 | Messina | Italy | 7.0 | 80,000 |
| 9 | 2005 | Kashmir (Muzaffarabad) | Pakistan | 7.6 | 76,213 |
| 10 | 1970 | Ancash | Peru | 7.9 | 66,794 |
| 11 | 1935 | Quetta | Pakistan | 7.5 | 60,000 |
| 12 | 2023 | Turkey-Syria | Turkey / Syria | 7.8 | 56,697 |
| 13 | 1927 | Gulang | China | 7.7 | 40,912 |
| 14 | 1990 | Manjil-Rudbar | Iran | 7.3 | 40,000 |
| 15 | 1939 | Erzincan | Turkey | 7.8 | 32,700 |
| 16 | 2003 | Bam | Iran | 6.6 | 31,000 |
| 17 | 1939 | Chillán | Chile | 8.3 | 30,000 |
| 18 | 1915 | Avezzano (Marsica) | Italy | 7.5 | 29,978 |
| 19 | 1988 | Spitak (Leninakan) | Armenia | 6.8 | 25,000 |
| 20 | 1976 | Chimaltenango | Guatemala | 7.5 | 23,000 |
| 21 | 2001 | Gujarat | India | 7.6 | 20,005 |
| 22 | 1974 | Zhaotong | China | 7.1 | 20,000 |
| 23 | 1978 | Tabas | Iran | 7.4 | 20,000 |
| 24 | 1905 | Kangra | India | 7.9 | 19,000 |
| 25 | 1999 | İzmit | Turkey | 7.6 | 17,118 |
† Official USGS estimates, 316,000 killed; other estimates substantially lower, possibly under 100,000.
Rows as listed in the table of the deadliest events on the Live Atlas earthquakes page; country taken from each row's name.
The table above holds those 25 events in the order Live Atlas gives them. Sort it by deaths, year or magnitude, or narrow it to a single country with the menu. Below it, a scatter plot sets each toll against its magnitude on a logarithmic scale, and a strip counts the entries per decade. Every row was read from the table of the deadliest events in this list, a catalog of 1,746 major earthquakes recorded since 1900 by NOAA, whose victims together number more than 2,562,000.
Does a Bigger Magnitude Mean a Higher Death Toll?
Hardly ever, on this list. Just three of the 25 reached magnitude 8 or more, and the strongest of them, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake at 9.1, ranks fourth. The smallest entry is the 2003 Bam earthquake in Iran, a magnitude 6.6 that killed 31,000 people, more than the 30,000 who died in the magnitude 8.3 Chillán earthquake in Chile in 1939. Hover over the scatter plot and the pattern shows at once. Twenty of the 25 fall between magnitude 7.0 and 7.9, a narrow band in which tolls range from 17,118 at İzmit in 1999 to 316,000 in Haiti, so magnitude alone says little about the toll.
Which Countries Appear Most Often?
China leads with five entries. Tangshan and Haiyuan sit in the top three, and Gulang in 1927, Zhaotong in 1974 and Sichuan in 2008 complete its share. Iran holds three places, with Bam in 2003 the most recent. Turkey also reaches three if the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake, which killed 56,697, counts under its name. Italy and Pakistan each appear twice, as does India.
Eight countries appear once. Japan is one of them, through the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake and its 105,385 deaths, and Armenia is another, through Spitak in 1988.
Why Is the Top of the List Disputed?
Death tolls are estimates, and in Haiti they diverge sharply. The USGS page for the 2010 Haiti earthquake gives the official estimate of 316,000 killed, then adds that other estimates are substantially lower, possibly under 100,000. At such a figure Haiti would drop below the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake in Turkmenistan, with its 110,000 deaths, and below Kantō as well. Live Atlas follows the NOAA database, which keeps the official number and records 300,000 injured.
Questions About the Deadliest Earthquakes
Which Decade Had the Most Entries?
The 1970s and the 2000s tie with five each. Tangshan and Tabas belong to the first group, while Sichuan and the Indian Ocean earthquake belong to the second. The 1950s and 1960s placed nothing in the top 25.
Why Does the Table Start in 1900?
Its source does. Live Atlas lists major earthquakes recorded since 1900, meaning those with at least 10 deaths or a magnitude of 7 or more, and the ranking draws on that catalog rather than on older historical accounts, so earlier disasters fall outside it.
Sources
- USGS, USGS page for the 2010 Haiti earthquake (impact summary)
- Live Atlas, the catalog of major earthquakes since 1900 (linked above) and its table of the deadliest events, drawn from the NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database