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Countries with Earthquake Deaths

Name the countries that have suffered more than 5,000 earthquake-related deaths in the 21st century.
Includes tsunamis caused by earthquakes
Numbers are very rough estimates based on this list as of 11 April 2023
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: April 11, 2023
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First submittedMay 30, 2015
Times taken70,663
Average score66.7%
Rating4.46
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Death
Worst year
Country
180,000
2004
Indonesia
130,000
2010
Haiti
88,000
2005
Pakistan
70,000
2008
China
51,000
2023
Turkey
36,000
2001
India
Death
Worst year
Country
35,000
2004
Sri Lanka
28,000
2003
Iran
18,000
2011
Japan
9,200
2015
Nepal
8,200
2004
Thailand
7,300
2023
Syria
+29
Level 15
Jun 20, 2015
I'm surprised Chile isn't an this list. They get a lot of deadly earthquakes because of the subduction zone next to them.
+12
Level 74
Jun 20, 2015
Chile did have quite a few earthquakes, but not many of them had a lot of fatalities in the 21st century. Had this quiz included the 20th century as well, it would definitaly have been there. I was surprised as well, i even typed Chile twice to be sure I didn't just do a spelling error the first time, had to look it up after.
+11
Level 82
Jun 20, 2015
I thought Turkey would make it, and since they include tsunami deaths probably Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Myanmar as well.
+5
Level 31
Jun 5, 2016
I tried Bangladesh and Malaysia , suprised they aren't there. Same with Philippines
+4
Level 82
Feb 8, 2017
I don't recall the Philippines getting hit with many earthquakes or tsunamis. They have more problems with volcanoes and typhoons.
+2
Level 85
Feb 8, 2017
The big Marmara Earthquake was in 1999 so not in the 21st century. There was 2011 Van Earthquake in Eastern Anatolia but there was 650 losses.
+6
Level 43
Mar 17, 2019
Malaysia and Singapore are shielded by Indonesia from Tsunamis, and aren't on any fault line, which makes them pretty safe. The worst problem was only during 2003 - 2004 where a flash flood from a nearby Tsunami hit.
+3
Level 60
May 3, 2023
Turkey is included now...sadly
+3
Level 29
Jun 20, 2015
I know! I typed Chile, and kept retyping. I tried to find out how I screwed up the spelling because I was so sure that Chile would be there. :)
+2
Level 28
Jun 20, 2015
Chile is known for having the largest earthquake in the world (magnitude 9.5 in 1960). But there are subduction zones all along the Pacific, including one off the coast of the Pacific Northwest/Southwest B.C.
+2
Level 70
Jun 20, 2017
Right where i live
+2
Level 35
Jan 2, 2022
Luckily I don't live there. I live way over here in India
+3
Level 39
Sep 14, 2022
Imagine living in america where no earth quakes hit
+3
Level 77
Apr 12, 2023
More like imagine living in America where the buildings are actually design to withstand the earthquakes. We have two large faults here. New Madrid in southern Illinois and San Andreas in California, but our building codes are put together so that any structure (especially one built after 2000) is designed to withstand earthquakes.
+1
Level 68
Jun 11, 2023
Had a 7.1 in the populated part of Alaska about 5 years ago. No deaths. A few buildings had to be condemned but no deadly collapses. Strict building codes helped. Now the 9.2 in 1964 . . . low population kept the death tolls lower although even most of those were from tsunamis in coastal towns. Big one waiting to go off in the Pacific Northwest and California gets rocked pretty good from time to time as well.
+2
Level 69
Oct 3, 2022
We have earthquakes in the USA frequently, Atzuul... especially on the west coast. We just don't normally have deaths from them.
+5
Level 83
Nov 22, 2015
People rarely die from earthquakes in Chile, even though they're huge. Also it probably helps that there are relatively few people and the density is scarce.
+7
Level 82
Sep 20, 2017
Right it's a combination of earthquake magnitude and frequency, population total and density, quality of building construction, and disaster preparedness.
+2
Level 73
Feb 9, 2017
Maybe it helps that our buildings are constructed for these reasons plus we are teached what to do after an earthquake/tsunami
+1
Level 83
Apr 12, 2023
And yet Japan is still on the list
+1
Level 77
Apr 12, 2023
Because of tsunamis. Japan is located at the intersection of 6 independent tectonic plates creating faults in the ocean. So earthquakes are off land, which creates tsunamis. In the west coast of the USA, the fault line is mostly landlocked, so no tsunamis. It's much easier to design for earthquakes than earthquakes AND tsunamis. Additionally, tsunami design wasn't added to the International Building Code until 2016 after Fukushima. We've been appropriately designing for earthquakes since the 1994 Northridge Earthquake changed all we knew about seismic design. Starting in 1997 the IBC completely revamped their seismic design guidelines and it's what we use today.
+1
Level 68
Jun 11, 2023
To be fair, Japan got hit by one of the 5 largest ever recorded. That being said, my father used to work in a structural engineering firm in Anchorage. I remember that he often said that Japanese built bulky buildings designed to withstand the shaking while Alaskans preferred strong buildings built to roll or flex. The goal is not to protect the building from all damage but to keep it from collapsing under the stress. Eventually, no matter how strong you build it, the shaking earth will force it to bend.
+1
Level 55
Oct 30, 2017
I was thinking that too!
+1
Level 39
Sep 14, 2022
They even got the strongest earthquake ever
+1
Level 68
Jun 11, 2023
They must have good infrastructure. Also, long narrow country so heaviest shaking spreads into ocean and other countries. All that said, I tried it a few times too. They've got 2 of the 5 strongest on record.
+5
Level 71
Jun 20, 2015
Looking at this really reminds you of how many deadly earthquakes have happened over the past fifteen years. Nepal, Japan and Haiti were especially recent.
+2
Level 68
Jun 11, 2023
Yes. Great earthquakes in diverse places. They are increasing and will continue to do so.
+2
Level 44
Jun 20, 2015
I enjoyed your quiz very good
+3
Level 56
Jun 21, 2015
Algeria, really? The only countries in Africa that I thought to list were on the Indian Ocean coast. It never occurred to me to look to the north.
+1
Level 39
Sep 14, 2022
I didn’t even know the locals even heard of one
+2
Level 65
Jun 27, 2015
Missed Haiti

*Facepalm*

+1
Level 39
Sep 14, 2022
I missed it too and realized they had a big 2010 quake
+1
Level 72
Jun 5, 2016
Needs to be updated to include Ecuador.
+3
Level ∞
Feb 4, 2017
Still less than 1,000.
+2
Level 24
Sep 10, 2016
That's extremely sad that 47 percent of people forgot about Haiti
+2
Level 34
Feb 13, 2017
Often cited as the poorest country in the world, it appears as though Haiti is forgotten about on many levels.
+9
Level 74
Jun 26, 2017
"Poorest country in the world". You mean the Western hemisphere?
+1
Level 43
Jan 6, 2022
I'd say there aren't very many countries in the Eastern Hemisphere that are poorer.
+1
Level 39
Sep 14, 2022
There’s Burundi and other African countries
+1
Level 42
Nov 26, 2016
got Algeria with 8 seconds left... xD
+2
Level 83
Feb 8, 2017
I find it interesting that Haiti is on this list, but the Dominican Republic is not.
+9
Level 75
Feb 8, 2017
Haiti's quake was a shallow one, and the epicenter was too far away from more populated regions of the DR to do as much damage. Also, the quake hit near heavily-populated Port-au-Prince in an area with many poorly-constructed buildings which drove the fatality count even higher. I know a medic who rode out the quake in an apartment building, and discovered his was the only building left standing in the entire area.
+1
Level 38
Feb 8, 2017
Can't believe I missed Haiti omg.
+1
Level 37
Feb 8, 2017
How does Nepal get tsunamis when it's landlocked
+8
Level 82
Feb 8, 2017
They don't.
+9
Level 67
Feb 8, 2017
Doesn't only count if deaths were from tsunamis. The quiz is earthquake deaths.
+5
Level 65
Aug 27, 2019
I didnt even realize tsunamis were included until i read the comments. But dont think i would ve gotten el salvador and algeria still, with that knowledge.

and how did you /he managed to read the caveat but not the quiz title??

+1
Level 16
Sep 20, 2017
they don't but south asia gets mass flooding, even affecting nepal
+3
Level 50
Mar 17, 2019
They do, but this quiz doesn't count that.
+2
Level 24
Jan 2, 2022
They should make it atmospheric lock too
+1
Level 47
Feb 8, 2017
I was frantically typing countries in for the last one until I hit Thailand with 2 seconds left.

It's interesting how one is at 48 percent and then the next two are 8 and 7 percent.

+1
Level 63
Feb 9, 2017
Same here!
+1
Level 33
Feb 8, 2017
When you somehow forget Afghanistan
+1
Level 79
Mar 16, 2019
Along with 51% of quiz takers.
+1
Level 71
Apr 5, 2017
Near the end of time I tried every Central American Country ........ except El Salvador.
+2
Level 21
Apr 5, 2017
13/15, would of never guessed Algeria. Thought Chile would be on here. ;o
+3
Level 79
Mar 16, 2019
have*
+1
Level 26
Apr 16, 2019
i am so happy i just wrote some random countries at the end. I somehow got Algeria but no Haiti..
+1
Level 61
Aug 22, 2017
WOW, not many of same countries appear on the other quiz, Countries With Most Earthquakes.
+1
Level 43
Sep 20, 2017
Forgot Sri Lanka but got Algeria
+1
Level 64
Aug 23, 2019
You forgot the Chile
+1
Level 86
Oct 2, 2019
Guatemala? No. Honduras? No. Nicaragua? No. Okay, I'll leave Central America. Dang it, El Salvador!
+2
Level 75
Oct 2, 2019
How do only 53% get Haiti?
+3
Level 70
Jan 3, 2022
That's what happens when the other 47% don't remember, guess, or know the answer.
+1
Level 54
Oct 3, 2019
Sri Lanka was heavily affected due to 2004 tsunami even to make this list of earthquake related deaths even though Sri Lanka never experiences earthquakes.
+3
Level 71
Jan 2, 2022
In the last 5 years: Sri Lanka was hit by 10 earthquakes the strongest being 2017 magnitude of 5.7. In 1983 Sri Lanka had an earthquake of 7.7 and had 72 earthquakes in that year.
+2
Level 34
Jan 2, 2022
Huh, I guessed Morocco and Nicaragua instead of Algeria and El Salvador
+1
Level 67
Jan 3, 2022
Interesting
+1
Level 70
Jan 3, 2022
I know Hispaniola is a big island, but it's striking that one side of the island suffered the scale of tragedy like Haiti's 130,000+ dead and meanwhile its neighbor the Dominican Republic doesn't register (thankfully) for this quiz.
+2
Level 48
Jan 3, 2022
Luckily there was a lot of time, I could spam type most countries I could think of that could possibly have earthquakes and got them all like that.
+1
Level 67
Jan 3, 2022
Fair
+2
Level 59
Feb 24, 2023
Why is the thumbnail a tsunami? Of course, they do happen after an earthquake, but why not put in an image of the cracked ground? Or buildings crumbling?

Good quiz, though!

+4
Level 44
Mar 2, 2023
Sleeping on Turkey realy hard please Update immedeatly
+3
Level 73
Mar 23, 2023
Feels kind of sick to say this but this needs updating for Turkey and Syria
+5
Level 53
Apr 12, 2023
I felt so sad after realizing why this quiz was updated
+1
Level 58
Apr 13, 2023
Wasn't Nepal's earthquake in 2015, not 2014?
+1
Level ∞
Apr 13, 2023
Yes, fixed.
+1
Level 43
May 3, 2023
I kept guessing countries in the Pacific ROF, then I realized, most of them weren't. I should've known better
+1
Level 72
Oct 10, 2023
I may be wrong, but unfortunately I think Afghanistan might need to be added.
+1
Level 21
Jan 3, 2024
Where is Chile???