Historical Natural Disasters
Deadliest rankings Glossary On this day US winter storms
Documented major disasters with sourced figures. Coverage note: historical records depend on available documentation — reliable global records improve dramatically after ~1900, and casualty figures for older events are estimates that vary between sources. Each entry cites its sources and uncertainty.
45 records found
| Event | Type | Country | Date | Fatalities | Damage (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Myanmar (Sagaing) Earthquake | Earthquake | Myanmar | 2025-03-28 | 3,700 | — |
| 2024 Hurricane Helene | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | United States | 2024-09-26 | 249 | $78.7B |
| 2023 Storm Daniel — Derna Dam Floods | Flood | Libya | 2023-09-10 | 5,900 | — |
| 2023 Türkiye–Syria Earthquakes | Earthquake | Türkiye | 2023-02-06 | 59,259 | $118.0B |
| 2022 Pakistan Floods | Flood | Pakistan | 2022-06-14 | 1,739 | $30.0B |
| 2021 Haiti Earthquake | Earthquake | Haiti | 2021-08-14 | 2,248 | $1.5B |
| 2019–20 Australian Bushfire Season (Black Summer) | Wildfire | Australia | 2019-09-01 | 34 | $75.0B |
| 2018 Sulawesi Earthquake and Tsunami | Tsunami | Indonesia | 2018-09-28 | 4,340 | $1.5B |
| 2017 Hurricane Maria | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | Puerto Rico | 2017-09-20 | 3,059 | $91.6B |
| 2015 Nepal (Gorkha) Earthquake | Earthquake | Nepal | 2015-04-25 | 8,964 | $10.0B |
| 2013 Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | Philippines | 2013-11-08 | 6,300 | $2.2B |
| The 2013 Bohol Earthquake | Earthquake | Philippines | 2013-10-15 | 222 | $0.1B |
| 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami | Tsunami | Japan | 2011-03-11 | 19,759 | $360.0B |
| 2010 Pakistan Floods | Flood | Pakistan | 2010-07-28 | 1,985 | $43.0B |
| 2010 Haiti Earthquake | Earthquake | Haiti | 2010-01-12 | 230,000 | $8.0B |
| 2008 Sichuan (Wenchuan) Earthquake | Earthquake | China | 2008-05-12 | 87,587 | $150.0B |
| 2008 Cyclone Nargis | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | Myanmar | 2008-05-02 | 138,373 | $12.0B |
| Hurricane Wilma, 19 October 2005 — the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | United States | 2005-10-19 | 23 | $20.6B |
| 2005 Kashmir Earthquake | Earthquake | Pakistan | 2005-10-08 | 87,351 | $5.2B |
| 2005 Hurricane Katrina | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | United States | 2005-08-29 | 1,833 | $125.0B |
| 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami | Tsunami | Indonesia | 2004-12-26 | 227,898 | $10.0B |
| 2003 Bam Earthquake | Earthquake | Iran | 2003-12-26 | 26,271 | $1.0B |
| 2003 European Heatwave | Heatwave | France | 2003-08-01 | 70,000 | $13.0B |
| The 1999 Hector Mine Earthquake | Earthquake | United States | 1999-10-16 | unknown | — |
| 1998 Hurricane Mitch | Hurricane / Cyclone / Typhoon | Honduras | 1998-10-29 | 11,000 | $6.0B |