Deaths from earthquakes in Greece
Greece: Deaths from earthquakes was 1 deaths in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2021)
1 deaths
World rank
37th
of 51 countries
All-time high
7,866 deaths
in 1881
All-time low
1 deaths
in 1729
Years of data
68
1508–2021
Deaths from earthquakes in Greece, 1508–2021
Source: National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
Greece recorded 1 deaths for deaths from earthquakes in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 68 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deaths from earthquakes in Greece peaked at 7,866 deaths in 1881 and was at its lowest, 1 deaths, in 1729.
That places Greece 37th out of 51 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Deaths from earthquakes in Greece, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1508 | 300 deaths | — |
| 1521 | 3 deaths | -99.0% |
| 1636 | 520 deaths | +17233.3% |
| 1660 | 2 deaths | -99.6% |
| 1729 | 1 deaths | -50.0% |
| 1742 | 120 deaths | +11900.0% |
| 1750 | 2,000 deaths | +1566.7% |
| 1767 | 303 deaths | -84.9% |
| 1785 | 38 deaths | -87.5% |
| 1786 | 120 deaths | +215.8% |
| 1791 | 80 deaths | -33.3% |
| 1810 | 3,000 deaths | +3650.0% |
| 1820 | 388 deaths | -87.1% |
| 1825 | 60 deaths | -84.5% |
| 1840 | 12 deaths | -80.0% |
| 1843 | 600 deaths | +4900.0% |
| 1846 | 30 deaths | -95.0% |
| 1853 | 17 deaths | -43.3% |
| 1856 | 600 deaths | +3429.4% |
| 1858 | 19 deaths | -96.8% |
| 1861 | 17 deaths | -10.5% |
| 1863 | 300 deaths | +1664.7% |
| 1867 | 786 deaths | +162.0% |
| 1869 | 15 deaths | -98.1% |
| 1870 | 200 deaths | +1233.3% |
| 1881 | 7,866 deaths | +3833.0% |
| 1886 | 326 deaths | -95.9% |
| 1889 | 25 deaths | -92.3% |
| 1893 | 28 deaths | +12.0% |
| 1894 | 255 deaths | +810.7% |
| 1895 | 80 deaths | -68.6% |
| 1902 | 5 deaths | -93.8% |
| 1903 | 2 deaths | -60.0% |
| 1904 | 4 deaths | +100.0% |
| 1905 | 11 deaths | +175.0% |
| 1912 | 8 deaths | -27.3% |
| 1914 | 14 deaths | +75.0% |
| 1928 | 20 deaths | +42.9% |
| 1932 | 161 deaths | +705.0% |
| 1933 | 181 deaths | +12.4% |
| 1947 | 3 deaths | -98.3% |
| 1948 | 13 deaths | +333.3% |
| 1949 | 7 deaths | -46.2% |
| 1953 | 476 deaths | +6700.0% |
| 1954 | 56 deaths | -88.2% |
| 1955 | 15 deaths | -73.2% |
| 1956 | 56 deaths | +273.3% |
| 1957 | 2 deaths | -96.4% |
| 1960 | 8 deaths | +300.0% |
| 1962 | 1 deaths | -87.5% |
| 1965 | 78 deaths | +7700.0% |
| 1966 | 3 deaths | -96.2% |
| 1967 | 9 deaths | +200.0% |
| 1968 | 22 deaths | +144.4% |
| 1975 | 1 deaths | -95.5% |
| 1978 | 50 deaths | +4900.0% |
| 1979 | 1 deaths | -98.0% |
| 1980 | 2 deaths | +100.0% |
| 1981 | 25 deaths | +1150.0% |
| 1986 | 20 deaths | -20.0% |
| 1990 | 1 deaths | -95.0% |
| 1995 | 26 deaths | +2500.0% |
| 1999 | 143 deaths | +450.0% |
| 2008 | 2 deaths | -98.6% |
| 2014 | 3 deaths | +50.0% |
| 2015 | 2 deaths | -33.3% |
| 2017 | 1 deaths | -50.0% |
| 2021 | 1 deaths | +0.0% |
Greece compared with similar countries
- Greece's 1 deaths is below the median for high income countries, which is 2 deaths, 50% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
- Greece's 1 deaths is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2 deaths, 50% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Deaths from earthquakes in Greece 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1636 | +17233.3% | 3 deaths | 520 deaths |
| 1742 | +11900.0% | 1 deaths | 120 deaths |
| 1965 | +7700.0% | 1 deaths | 78 deaths |
| 1953 | +6700.0% | 7 deaths | 476 deaths |
| 1843 | +4900.0% | 12 deaths | 600 deaths |
| 1978 | +4900.0% | 1 deaths | 50 deaths |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500s | 300 deaths | 300 deaths | 300 deaths | 1 |
| 1520s | 3 deaths | 3 deaths | 3 deaths | 1 |
| 1630s | 520 deaths | 520 deaths | 520 deaths | 1 |
| 1660s | 2 deaths | 2 deaths | 2 deaths | 1 |
| 1720s | 1 deaths | 1 deaths | 1 deaths | 1 |
| 1740s | 120 deaths | 120 deaths | 120 deaths | 1 |
| 1750s | 2,000 deaths | 2,000 deaths | 2,000 deaths | 1 |
| 1760s | 303 deaths | 303 deaths | 303 deaths | 1 |
| 1780s | 79 deaths | 38 deaths | 120 deaths | 2 |
| 1790s | 80 deaths | 80 deaths | 80 deaths | 1 |
| 1810s | 3,000 deaths | 3,000 deaths | 3,000 deaths | 1 |
| 1820s | 224 deaths | 60 deaths | 388 deaths | 2 |
| 1840s | 214 deaths | 12 deaths | 600 deaths | 3 |
| 1850s | 212 deaths | 17 deaths | 600 deaths | 3 |
| 1860s | 279.5 deaths | 15 deaths | 786 deaths | 4 |
| 1870s | 200 deaths | 200 deaths | 200 deaths | 1 |
| 1880s | 2,739 deaths | 25 deaths | 7,866 deaths | 3 |
| 1890s | 121 deaths | 28 deaths | 255 deaths | 3 |
| 1900s | 5.5 deaths | 2 deaths | 11 deaths | 4 |
| 1910s | 11 deaths | 8 deaths | 14 deaths | 2 |
| 1920s | 20 deaths | 20 deaths | 20 deaths | 1 |
| 1930s | 171 deaths | 161 deaths | 181 deaths | 2 |
| 1940s | 7.67 deaths | 3 deaths | 13 deaths | 3 |
| 1950s | 121 deaths | 2 deaths | 476 deaths | 5 |
| 1960s | 20.17 deaths | 1 deaths | 78 deaths | 6 |
| 1970s | 17.33 deaths | 1 deaths | 50 deaths | 3 |
| 1980s | 15.67 deaths | 2 deaths | 25 deaths | 3 |
| 1990s | 56.67 deaths | 1 deaths | 143 deaths | 3 |
| 2000s | 2 deaths | 2 deaths | 2 deaths | 1 |
| 2010s | 2 deaths | 1 deaths | 3 deaths | 3 |
| 2020s | 1 deaths | 1 deaths | 1 deaths | 1 |
Countries ranked near Greece
- 37 Albania 1 deaths compare
- 37 Azerbaijan 1 deaths compare
- 37 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 deaths compare
- 37 Canada 1 deaths compare
- 37 Chile 1 deaths compare
- 37 Colombia 1 deaths compare
- 37 El Salvador 1 deaths compare
- 37 India 1 deaths compare
- 37 Nicaragua 1 deaths compare
- 37 Poland 1 deaths compare
- 37 Solomon Islands 1 deaths compare
- 37 Tanzania 1 deaths compare
- 37 Turkey 1 deaths compare
- 37 United States 1 deaths compare
More health data for Greece
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -4 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.0227 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,321 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 24 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -3.24 % 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 0.0175 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.88 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is deaths from earthquakes in Greece?
- Deaths from earthquakes in Greece was 1 deaths in 2021, according to National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest deaths from earthquakes recorded in Greece?
- The highest recorded value was 7,866 deaths in 1881.
- What is the lowest deaths from earthquakes recorded in Greece?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 deaths in 1729.
- How does Greece rank for deaths from earthquakes?
- Greece ranks 37th out of 51 countries with data for 2021.
- Is deaths from earthquakes rising or falling in Greece?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Greece data come from?
- The figures come from National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Deaths from earthquakes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 68 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes direct deaths from the event plus those from secondary impacts, such as a tsunami triggered by an earthquake. Due to data availability, recent data will be more complete than older historical estimates.