The Deadliest Earthquakes in History

Olaoluwa Akinade

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations UH-60 Black Hawk flight crew conducts search and rescue operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael that left a swath of destruction across the area near Panama City, Florida, October 11, 2018. More: The flight originated at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Photo by Glenn Fawcett. Original public domain image from Flickr

The deadliest earthquakes in history are the ones that kill the most people. The number of fatalities depends frequently on the depth of the earthquake (closer earthquakes tend to be more destructive),

The density of the people, and the amount of force that buildings and other structures can withstand before failing.

Some earthquakes, like the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and the 2011 Great Sendai Earthquake in Japan, resulted in tsunamis that increased the damage and casualties.

In contrast, the 1960 and 2010 Chile earthquakes, two of the deadliest earthquakes ever recorded, resulted in comparatively few fatalities.

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The Deadliest Earthquakes in History

The Earthquake that occurred in Kashmir (administrated by Pakistan)

The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan, which is controlled by Pakistan, and the Kashmir region both experienced a magnitude-7.6 earthquake on October 8, 2005.

At least 79,000 people were killed and more than 32,000 buildings collapsed in Kashmir, with additional fatalities and destruction reported in India and Afghanistan, making it one of the most deadliest earthquakes of contemporary times.

The Sichuan Earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province

The Sichuan Earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province

Over 5 million people were made homeless due to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and the original seismic event and the discharge of water from a neighboring lake devastated more than half of the town of Beichuan.

The earthquake that struck the hilly core portion of Sichuan province in southwestern China on May 12, 2008, caused immense destruction.

The West Peru’s Great Peruvian Earthquake

On May 31, 1970, an earthquake off the coast of Peru caused enormous landslides, which resulted in the collapse of many poorly constructed buildings. Approximately 70,000 people died.
The Earthquake and Tsunami that occurred in the Indian Ocean basin

A 9.1 magnitude underwater earthquake that hit off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26, 2004, at 7:59 am local time.

Over the course of the following seven hours, a tsunami caused by the earthquake spread over the Indian Ocean, wreaking havoc on coastal communities as far away as East Africa.

In other places, it was claimed that the waves had broken at a height of 30 feet (9 meters) or higher.

At least 225,000 people were killed by the tsunami in 12 different countries, with Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives suffering significant losses.
The Northwest China’s Great Tangshan Earthquake

The Chinese coal mining and industrial city of Tangshan, which is located approximately 110 kilometers (68 miles) east of Beijing, was almost completely destroyed by the Tangshan earthquake of 1976, also known as the Great Tangshan Earthquake, which struck on July 28, 1976, with a magnitude of 7.5.

The official death toll, which is believed to be among the highest in recorded history at 242,000, may have reached 655,000.

At least 700,000 additional individuals sustained injuries, and severe property destruction occurred that even reached Beijing.
The Haiti (Hispaniola) earthquake

The Port-au-Prince metropolitan region was damaged by the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which also left an estimated 1.5 million survivors homeless.

The Deadliest Earthquakes of the Twenty-first Century

Morocco had a strong earthquake on September 8, 2023. The 6.8-magnitude earthquake, which had its epicenter in the Atlas Mountains and caused structural damage to Marrakesh’s medieval city center, killed thousands of people.

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Here is a list of the deadliest earthquakes of the twenty-first century, ordered by death toll.

Rank	Date	Location	Total Deaths	Magnitude
1	Jan, 2010	Haiti	316,000	7.0
2	Dec, 2004	Indonesia	227,899	9.1
3	May, 2008	China	87,652	7.9
4	Oct, 2005	Pakistan	76,213	7.6
5	Feb, 2023	Türkiye	56,697	7.8
6	Dec, 2003	Iran	31,000	6.6
7	Jan, 2001	India	20,005	7.6
8	March, 2011	Japan	18,428	9.1
9	April, 2015	Nepal	8,957	7.8
10	May, 2006	Indonesia	5,749	6.3

Rank	Date	Location	Total Deaths	Magnitude
11	Sep, 2018	Indonesia	4,340	7.5
12	May, 2003	Algeria	2,287	6.8
13	Aug, 2021	Haiti	2,248	7.2
14	April, 2010	China	2,220	6.9
15	March, 2005	Indonesia	1,313	8.6
16	Sep, 2009	Indonesia	1,117	7.5
17	June, 2022	Afghanistan	1,039	5.9
18	March, 2002	Afghanistan	1,000	6.1
19	Jan, 2001	El Salvador	844	7.7
20	Sep, 2013	Pakistan	825	7.7

Rank	Date	Location	Total Deaths	Magnitude
21	July, 2006	Indonesia	802	7.7
22	April, 2016	Ecuador	663	7.8
23	Nov, 2022	Indonesia	635	5.6
24	Nov, 2017	Iran	630	7.3
25	Feb, 2004	Morocco	628	6.4
26	Aug, 2014	China	615	6.2
27	Feb, 2005	Iran	612	6.4
28	Oct, 2011	Turkey	604	7.1
29	Aug, 2018	Indonesia	560	6.9
30	Feb, 2010	Chile	558	8.8

Rank	Date	Location	Total Deaths	Magnitude
31	Aug, 2007	Peru	514	8.0
32	Oct, 2010	Indonesia	431	7.8
33	Oct, 2015	Afghanistan	399	7.5
34	Sep, 2017	Mexico	369	7.1
35	Feb, 2001	El Salvador	315	6.6
36	April, 2009	Italy	309	6.3
37	Aug, 2012	Iran	306	6.5
38	Aug, 2016	Italy	299	6.2
39	June, 2002	Iran	261	6.5
40	Feb, 2003	China	261	6.3

Rank	Date	Location	Total Deaths	Magnitude
41	Oct, 2013	Philippines	222	7.1
42	Oct, 2008	Pakistan	215	6.4
43	April, 2013	China	196	6.6
44	Sep, 2009	Samoa Islands	192	8.1
45	Feb, 2011	New Zealand	185	6.1
46	May, 2003	Turkey	177	6.4
47	March, 2002	Afghanistan	166	7.4
48	Feb, 2018	Papua New Guinea	145	7.5
49	Oct, 2020	Greece	118	7.0
50	Sep, 2022	China	118	6.6