🌐 Deadliest Earthquakes in Recorded History

Direct answer: the deadliest earthquake in our documented records is the 1556 Shaanxi Earthquake (1556), with an estimated 830,000 deaths (Historical chronicle figure; modern estimates are uncertain). Death tolls for events before modern record-keeping vary widely between sources; every figure below links to its citation.

← All deadliest disasters

#EventTypeCountryYearEstimated deaths
1 1556 Shaanxi Earthquake Earthquake China 1556 830,000 *
2 1976 Tangshan Earthquake Earthquake China 1976 242,000 *
3 2010 Haiti Earthquake Earthquake Haiti 2010 230,000 *
4 2008 Sichuan (Wenchuan) Earthquake Earthquake China 2008 87,587 *
5 2005 Kashmir Earthquake Earthquake Pakistan 2005 87,351 *
6 1908 Messina Earthquake and Tsunami Earthquake Italy 1908 80,000 *
7 1970 Ancash Earthquake and Yungay Landslide Earthquake Peru 1970 67,000 *
8 2023 Türkiye–Syria Earthquakes Earthquake Türkiye 2023 59,259 *
9 1755 Lisbon Earthquake and Tsunami Earthquake Portugal 1755 50,000 *
10 2003 Bam Earthquake Earthquake Iran 2003 26,271 *
11 2015 Nepal (Gorkha) Earthquake Earthquake Nepal 2015 8,964 *
12 1995 Great Hanshin (Kobe) Earthquake Earthquake Japan 1995 6,434 *
13 2025 Myanmar (Sagaing) Earthquake Earthquake Myanmar 2025 3,700 *
14 2021 Haiti Earthquake Earthquake Haiti 2021 2,248 *
15 The 2013 Bohol Earthquake Earthquake Philippines 2013 222 *
16 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake Earthquake United States 1989 63 *

* Figures marked with an asterisk carry significant uncertainty — open each event for its sources and uncertainty note. Historical death tolls, especially before 1900, are estimates that differ between reputable sources. Coverage depends on available documentation; see our methodology.