The Top 5 Deadliest Earthquakes in Known History

  Location Date Estimated Number of Deaths Magnitude
1 Egypt
(upper or Syria)
May 20th, 1202 1,100,000 7.5
2 Shensi, China Feb 2nd, 1556 830,000 8.2
3 Tangshan, China July 27, 1976 655,237 7.5 - 8.0
4 Kiapas, Azerbaijan 1139 A.D. 300,000 6.8
5 Calcutta, India October 11th, 1737 299,999 Unknown
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Tags: Death Statistics, Natural Disasters

Sources:  National Geophysical Data Center

List Notes: Deaths can be attributed directly to the earthquake or at times, to a resulting tsunami (which is often the case in high death tolls). Exact death tolls can be difficult to calculate even in modern times and these historical figures should be considered as best estimates.
Deadliest Earthquakes in Known History

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