Earthquake deaths in China
China: Earthquake deaths was 3 in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
3
Change on year
down 98.0%
World rank
26th
of 51 countries
All-time high
830,000
in 1556
All-time low
1
in 1914
Years of data
166
1500–2024
Earthquake deaths in China, 1500–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
China recorded 3 for earthquake deaths in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 98.0% on the previous year and down 99.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, earthquake deaths in China peaked at 830,000 in 1556 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1914.
China ranks 26th of 51 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Earthquake deaths in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1500 | 10,000 | — |
| 1501 | 400 | -96.0% |
| 1502 | 50 | -87.5% |
| 1515 | 300 | +500.0% |
| 1536 | 3 | -99.0% |
| 1556 | 830,000 | +27666566.7% |
| 1560 | 100 | -100.0% |
| 1561 | 1,001 | +901.0% |
| 1568 | 200 | -80.0% |
| 1577 | 170 | -15.0% |
| 1579 | 10 | -94.1% |
| 1586 | 20 | +100.0% |
| 1605 | 2,000 | +9900.0% |
| 1606 | 2,000 | +0.0% |
| 1609 | 840 | -58.0% |
| 1611 | 2 | -99.8% |
| 1622 | 12,000 | +599900.0% |
| 1626 | 5,200 | -56.7% |
| 1628 | 63 | -98.8% |
| 1634 | 30 | -52.4% |
| 1652 | 3,000 | +9900.0% |
| 1654 | 10,400 | +246.7% |
| 1668 | 42,578 | +309.4% |
| 1679 | 13,162 | -69.1% |
| 1680 | 2,700 | -79.5% |
| 1683 | 1,001 | -62.9% |
| 1688 | 190 | -81.0% |
| 1695 | 20,000 | +10426.3% |
| 1709 | 2,032 | -89.8% |
| 1713 | 2,100 | +3.3% |
| 1718 | 73,000 | +3376.2% |
| 1725 | 614 | -99.2% |
| 1730 | 658 | +7.2% |
| 1738 | 336 | -48.9% |
| 1739 | 50,000 | +14781.0% |
| 1748 | 60 | -99.9% |
| 1750 | 37 | -38.3% |
| 1751 | 900 | +2332.4% |
| 1755 | 340 | -62.2% |
| 1761 | 170 | -50.0% |
| 1763 | 1,000 | +488.2% |
| 1765 | 2,068 | +106.8% |
| 1785 | 36 | -98.3% |
| 1786 | 435 | +1108.3% |
| 1792 | 205 | -52.9% |
| 1793 | 200 | -2.4% |
| 1799 | 2,000 | +900.0% |
| 1803 | 200 | -90.0% |
| 1806 | 100 | -50.0% |
| 1811 | 480 | +380.0% |
| 1814 | 904 | +88.3% |
| 1815 | 13,000 | +1338.1% |
| 1816 | 2,854 | -78.0% |
| 1819 | 126 | -95.6% |
| 1820 | 430 | +241.3% |
| 1822 | 12 | -97.2% |
| 1827 | 84 | +600.0% |
| 1829 | 200 | +138.1% |
| 1830 | 7,477 | +3638.5% |
| 1831 | 33 | -99.6% |
| 1833 | 6,700 | +20203.0% |
| 1834 | 88 | -98.7% |
| 1837 | 37 | -58.0% |
| 1839 | 229 | +518.9% |
| 1850 | 20,650 | +8917.5% |
| 1852 | 300 | -98.5% |
| 1855 | 7 | -97.7% |
| 1856 | 300 | +4185.7% |
| 1861 | 2 | -99.3% |
| 1863 | 9 | +350.0% |
| 1870 | 2,300 | +25455.6% |
| 1878 | 70 | -97.0% |
| 1879 | 22,000 | +31328.6% |
| 1880 | 8 | -100.0% |
| 1881 | 480 | +5900.0% |
| 1882 | 11 | -97.7% |
| 1884 | 17 | +54.5% |
| 1885 | 84 | +394.1% |
| 1887 | 2,000 | +2281.0% |
| 1891 | 31 | -98.5% |
| 1893 | 378 | +1119.4% |
| 1896 | 40 | -89.4% |
| 1898 | 59 | +47.5% |
| 1902 | 5,659 | +9491.5% |
| 1904 | 400 | -92.9% |
| 1905 | 13 | -96.8% |
| 1906 | 281 | +2061.5% |
| 1909 | 21 | -92.5% |
| 1913 | 942 | +4385.7% |
| 1914 | 1 | -99.9% |
| 1915 | 170 | +16900.0% |
| 1917 | 1,800 | +958.8% |
| 1918 | 2,000 | +11.1% |
| 1920 | 235,502 | +11675.1% |
| 1921 | 10,000 | -95.8% |
| 1923 | 4,800 | -52.0% |
| 1924 | 100 | -97.9% |
| 1925 | 5,812 | +5712.0% |
| 1927 | 40,919 | +604.0% |
| 1928 | 6 | -100.0% |
| 1929 | 2 | -66.7% |
| 1930 | 242 | +12000.0% |
| 1931 | 10,000 | +4032.2% |
| 1932 | 481 | -95.2% |
| 1933 | 9,500 | +1875.1% |
| 1934 | 1 | -100.0% |
| 1935 | 102 | +10100.0% |
| 1936 | 145 | +42.2% |
| 1937 | 390 | +169.0% |
| 1939 | 2 | -99.5% |
| 1940 | 183 | +9050.0% |
| 1941 | 147 | -19.7% |
| 1942 | 90 | -38.8% |
| 1944 | 3 | -96.7% |
| 1945 | 17 | +466.7% |
| 1947 | 4 | -76.5% |
| 1948 | 913 | +22725.0% |
| 1949 | 21 | -97.7% |
| 1952 | 54 | +157.1% |
| 1955 | 39 | -27.8% |
| 1962 | 1 | -97.4% |
| 1963 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 8,064 | +806300.0% |
| 1969 | 3,014 | -62.6% |
| 1970 | 15,621 | +418.3% |
| 1974 | 20,000 | +28.0% |
| 1975 | 300 | -98.5% |
| 1976 | 242,769 | +80823.0% |
| 1979 | 41 | -100.0% |
| 1981 | 150 | +265.9% |
| 1982 | 10 | -93.3% |
| 1983 | 34 | +240.0% |
| 1985 | 94 | +176.5% |
| 1988 | 738 | +685.1% |
| 1989 | 46 | -93.8% |
| 1990 | 130 | +182.6% |
| 1993 | 2 | -98.5% |
| 1995 | 95 | +4650.0% |
| 1996 | 369 | +288.4% |
| 1997 | 23 | -93.8% |
| 1998 | 78 | +239.1% |
| 1999 | 1 | -98.7% |
| 2000 | 8 | +700.0% |
| 2001 | 6 | -25.0% |
| 2002 | 2 | -66.7% |
| 2003 | 315 | +15650.0% |
| 2004 | 4 | -98.7% |
| 2005 | 18 | +350.0% |
| 2006 | 23 | +27.8% |
| 2007 | 3 | -87.0% |
| 2008 | 87,724 | +2924033.3% |
| 2009 | 2 | -100.0% |
| 2010 | 2,976 | +148700.0% |
| 2011 | 25 | -99.2% |
| 2012 | 86 | +244.0% |
| 2013 | 296 | +244.2% |
| 2014 | 622 | +110.1% |
| 2015 | 5 | -99.2% |
| 2016 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 2017 | 37 | +825.0% |
| 2019 | 17 | -54.1% |
| 2020 | 5 | -70.6% |
| 2021 | 29 | +480.0% |
| 2022 | 122 | +320.7% |
| 2023 | 151 | +23.8% |
| 2024 | 3 | -98.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 3 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3, 1.0× the median. (17 countries reporting)
- China's 3 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.5, 86% of the median. (8 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Earthquake deaths in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1556 | +27666566.7% | 3 | 830,000 |
| 2008 | +2924033.3% | 3 | 87,724 |
| 1966 | +806300.0% | 1 | 8,064 |
| 1622 | +599900.0% | 2 | 12,000 |
| 2010 | +148700.0% | 2 | 2,976 |
| 1976 | +80823.0% | 300 | 242,769 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500s | 3,483 | 50 | 10,000 | 3 |
| 1510s | 300 | 300 | 300 | 1 |
| 1530s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 1550s | 830,000 | 830,000 | 830,000 | 1 |
| 1560s | 433.67 | 100 | 1,001 | 3 |
| 1570s | 90 | 10 | 170 | 2 |
| 1580s | 20 | 20 | 20 | 1 |
| 1600s | 1,613 | 840 | 2,000 | 3 |
| 1610s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1620s | 5,754 | 63 | 12,000 | 3 |
| 1630s | 30 | 30 | 30 | 1 |
| 1650s | 6,700 | 3,000 | 10,400 | 2 |
| 1660s | 42,578 | 42,578 | 42,578 | 1 |
| 1670s | 13,162 | 13,162 | 13,162 | 1 |
| 1680s | 1,297 | 190 | 2,700 | 3 |
| 1690s | 20,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 1 |
| 1700s | 2,032 | 2,032 | 2,032 | 1 |
| 1710s | 37,550 | 2,100 | 73,000 | 2 |
| 1720s | 614 | 614 | 614 | 1 |
| 1730s | 16,998 | 336 | 50,000 | 3 |
| 1740s | 60 | 60 | 60 | 1 |
| 1750s | 425.67 | 37 | 900 | 3 |
| 1760s | 1,079 | 170 | 2,068 | 3 |
| 1780s | 235.5 | 36 | 435 | 2 |
| 1790s | 801.67 | 200 | 2,000 | 3 |
| 1800s | 150 | 100 | 200 | 2 |
| 1810s | 3,473 | 126 | 13,000 | 5 |
| 1820s | 181.5 | 12 | 430 | 4 |
| 1830s | 2,427 | 33 | 7,477 | 6 |
| 1850s | 5,314 | 7 | 20,650 | 4 |
| 1860s | 5.5 | 2 | 9 | 2 |
| 1870s | 8,123 | 70 | 22,000 | 3 |
| 1880s | 433.33 | 8 | 2,000 | 6 |
| 1890s | 127 | 31 | 378 | 4 |
| 1900s | 1,275 | 13 | 5,659 | 5 |
| 1910s | 982.6 | 1 | 2,000 | 5 |
| 1920s | 37,143 | 2 | 235,502 | 8 |
| 1930s | 2,318 | 1 | 10,000 | 9 |
| 1940s | 172.25 | 3 | 913 | 8 |
| 1950s | 46.5 | 39 | 54 | 2 |
| 1960s | 2,770 | 1 | 8,064 | 4 |
| 1970s | 55,746 | 41 | 242,769 | 5 |
| 1980s | 178.67 | 10 | 738 | 6 |
| 1990s | 99.71 | 1 | 369 | 7 |
| 2000s | 8,810 | 2 | 87,724 | 10 |
| 2010s | 452 | 4 | 2,976 | 9 |
| 2020s | 62 | 3 | 151 | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
More health data for China
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.15 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.0985 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 4,642 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 10 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -8.22 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0159 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -8.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0176 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is earthquake deaths in China?
- Earthquake deaths in China was 3 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest earthquake deaths recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 830,000 in 1556.
- What is the lowest earthquake deaths recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1914.
- How does China rank for earthquake deaths?
- China ranks 26th out of 51 countries with data for 2024.
- Is earthquake deaths rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 99.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Earthquake deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 166 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).