History

Deadliest Natural Disasters

Natural disasters ranked by death toll.

101 rows6 columns2 views0 downloadsSource: WikipediaUpdated: 2/22/2026
natural disastersdeath tollhistorycatastrophe
101 of 101 rows
Year↕
Death tolls↕
Event↕
Countries affected↕
Type↕
Date↕
1,9019,5001901 eastern United States heat waveUnited StatesHeat waveJune–July
1,90229,0001902 eruption of Mount PeléeMartiniqueVolcanic eruptionApril–August
1,9033,5001903 Manzikert earthquakeTurkeyEarthquakeApril 29
1,9044001904 Sichuan earthquakeChinaAugust 30—
1,90520,000+1905 Kangra earthquakeIndiaApril 4—
1,90615,0001906 Hong Kong typhoonHong KongTropical cycloneSeptember 18
1,90712,000–15,0001907 Qaratog earthquakeUzbekistanEarthquakeOctober 21
1,90875,000–82,0001908 Messina earthquakeItalyDecember 28—
1,9096,000–8,0001909 Borujerd earthquakeIranJanuary 23—
1,9102,4501910 Costa Rica earthquakesCosta RicaMay 4—
1,91141,0721911 France heat waveFranceHeat waveJune–August
1,91250,000–220,0001912 China typhoonChinaTropical cycloneAugust 29
1,913942–1,9001913 Eshan earthquakeEarthquakeDecember 21—
1,9142,3441914 Burdur earthquakeTurkeyOctober 4—
1,91529,978-32,6101915 Avezzano earthquakeItalyJanuary 13—
1,9162,000–10,000White Friday avalanchesAvalancheDecember 13—
1,9171,5001917 Bali earthquakeIndonesiaEarthquakeJanuary 21
1,9181,0001918 Shantou earthquakeChinaFebruary 13—
1,9195,0001919 Kelud mudflowIndonesiaVolcanic eruptionMay 19
1,920258,707–273,4071920 Haiyuan earthquakeChina, MongoliaEarthquakeDecember 16
1,921215September 1921 San Antonio floodsUnited StatesFloodSeptember 7 –11
1,92250,000–100,000+1922 Shantou typhoonPhilippines, ChinaTropical cycloneJuly 27 –August 3
1,923105,385-142,8001923 Great Kantō earthquakeJapanEarthquakeSeptember 1
1,9241,000Great flood of 99IndiaFloodJuly
1,9255,0001925 Dali earthquakeChinaEarthquakeMarch 16
1,9267091926 Havana–Bermuda hurricaneCuba, United States, Bahamas, BermudaTropical cycloneOctober 14 –28
1,92740,9121927 Gulang earthquakeChina, TibetEarthquakeMay 22
1,9284,112+1928 Okeechobee hurricaneUnited States, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Bahamas, Dominica,Tropical cycloneSeptember 12 –21
1,9293,257–3,8001929 Kopet Dag earthquakeIran, TurkmenistanEarthquakeMay 1
1,9302,000–8,0001930 San Zenón hurricaneDominican RepublicTropical cycloneSeptember 3
1,931422,499–4,000,0001931 China floodsChinaFloodJuly – November
1,9323,103+1932 Cuba hurricaneCayman Islands, CubaTropical cycloneNovember 9
1,9336,865–9,3001933 Diexi earthquakeChinaEarthquakeAugust 25
1,93410,700–12,0001934 Nepal–India earthquakeNepal, IndiaJanuary 15—
1,935145,0001935 Yangtze floodChinaFloodJuly 6
1,9365,000+1936 North American heat waveUnited States, CanadaHeat waveJune – September
1,93711,0211937 Great Hong Kong typhoonChinaTropical cycloneSeptember 2
1,938715+1938 Hanshin floodJapanFloodJuly
1,93932,700–32,9681939 Erzincan earthquakeTurkeyEarthquakeDecember 27
1,9401,0001940 Vrancea earthquakeRomaniaNovember 10—
1,9411,2001941 Jabal Razih earthquakeYemenJanuary 11—
1,94261,0001942 West Bengal cycloneIndiaTropical cycloneOctober 14 – 18
1,9432,824-5,0001943 Tosya–Ladik earthquakeTurkeyEarthquakeNovember 27
1,94410,0001944 San Juan earthquakeArgentinaJanuary 15—
1,9454,0001945 Balochistan earthquakePakistanNovember 28—
1,9462,5501946 Dominican Republic earthquakeDominican RepublicAugust 4—
1,9471,077Typhoon KathleenJapanTropical cycloneSeptember 15
1,94810,000–110,0001948 Ashgabat earthquakeSoviet Union, IranEarthquakeOctober 6
1,9497,2001949 Khait earthquakeTajikistanJuly 10—
1,9504,8001950 Assam-Tibet earthquakeIndia, ChinaAugust 15—
1,9514,8001951 Manchuria floodChinaFloodSeptember 18
1,9522,3361952 Severo-Kurilsk earthquakeRussiaEarthquakeNovember 4
1,9532,551North Sea flood of 1953Netherlands, Belgium, England, ScotlandFloodJanuary 31–February 1
1,95433,0001954 Yangtze floodsChinaJune – September—
1,9551,023+Hurricane JanetLesser Antilles, MexicoTropical cycloneSeptember 22 – 30
1,9564,935Typhoon WandaChinaAugust 1—
1,9571,5001957 Sangchal earthquakeIranEarthquakeJuly 2
1,9581,269Typhoon IdaJapanTropical cycloneSeptember 26
1,9595,098Typhoon Vera———
1,96014,174Severe Cyclonic Storm TenEast Pakistan (now Bangladesh)October 31—
1,96111,468Cyclone WinnieMay 6 – 9——
1,96250,935Tropical Storm HarrietThailand, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)October 19 – 31—
1,96322,000Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm TwoEast Pakistan (now Bangladesh)May 28—
1,9647,000Tropical Storm JoanVietnamNovember 4 – 11—
1,96547,0001965 Bengal cyclonesEast Pakistan (now Bangladesh)May 11 – 12 and June 1 – 2—
1,9668,0641966 Xingtai earthquakesChinaEarthquakeMarch 22
1,96710,0001967 Paradip cycloneIndiaTropical cycloneOctober 26
1,96815,0001968 Dasht-e Bayaz and Ferdows earthquakesIranEarthquakeAugust 31
1,9693,0001969 Yangjiang earthquakeChinaJuly 26—
1,970300,000-500,0001970 Bhola cycloneIndia, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)Tropical cycloneNovember 13
1,971100,000Hanoi and Red River Delta floodNorth VietnamFloodAugust 1
1,9725,3741972 Qir earthquakeIranEarthquakeApril 10
1,9724,000-11,0001972 Managua earthquakeNicaraguaEarthquakeDecember 23
1,9732,175–2,2041973 Luhuo earthquakeChinaFebruary 6—
1,9748,210+Hurricane Fifi–OrleneHonduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, MexicoTropical cycloneSeptember 18 – 20
1,97526,000-240,0001975 Banqiao Dam failure disaster triggered by Typhoon NinaChinaAugust 7—
1,976242,419–655,0001976 Tangshan earthquakeEarthquakeJuly 28—
1,97710,000–50,0001977 Andhra Pradesh cycloneIndiaTropical cycloneNovember 19
1,97815,000–25,0001978 Tabas earthquakeIranEarthquakeSeptember 16
1,9792,078Hurricane DavidDominican Republic, DominicaTropical cycloneAugust 15 – September 8
1,9802,633-5,0001980 El Asnam earthquakeAlgeriaEarthquakeOctober 10
1,9813,0001981 Golbaf earthquakeIranJune 11—
1,9822,8001982 North Yemen earthquakeYemenDecember 13—
1,9831,3421983 Erzurum earthquakeTurkeyOctober 30—
1,9841,474Typhoon IkePhilippinesTropical cycloneAugust 26 – September 6
1,98523,000Armero tragedyColombiaVolcanic eruptionNovember 13
1,9861,746Lake Nyos disasterCameroonLimnic eruptionAugust 21
1,9871,0001987 Ecuador earthquakesEcuadorEarthquakeMarch 6
1,98825,000-50,0001988 Armenian earthquakeArmeniaDecember 7—
1,9893,8141989 Sichuan floodChinaFloodJuly 27
1,99035,000-45,0001990 Manjil–Rudbar earthquakeIranEarthquakeJune 21
1,991138,8661991 Bangladesh cycloneBangladeshTropical cycloneApril 24 – 30
1,9922,5001992 Flores earthquake and tsunamiIndonesiaEarthquake, TsunamiDecember 12
1,9939,7481993 Latur earthquakeIndiaEarthquakeSeptember 30
1,9943,063Typhoon FredChina, TaiwanTropical cycloneAugust 21
1,9956,434Great Hanshin earthquakeJapanEarthquakeJanuary 17
1,9961,0771996 Andhra Pradesh cycloneIndiaTropical cycloneNovember 4 – 7
1,9973,123Tropical Storm LindaVietnam, ThailandTropical cyclone, FloodNovember 1 – 9
1,99811,374Hurricane MitchHonduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, MexicoTropical cycloneOctober 22 – November 9
1,99910,000-30,000Vargas tragedyVenezuelaMudslide, FloodDecember 14 – 16
2,000700–8002000 Mozambique floodMozambiqueFloodFebruary – March
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