Deaths from earthquakes in Italy
Italy: Deaths from earthquakes was 36 deaths in 2017. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2017)
36 deaths
Change on year
down 88.1%
World rank
8th
of 51 countries
All-time high
120,000 deaths
in 1693
All-time low
1 deaths
in 1861
Years of data
87
1511–2017
Deaths from earthquakes in Italy, 1511–2017
Source: National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
Italy recorded 36 deaths for deaths from earthquakes in 2017.
The figure is down 88.1% on the previous year and down 88.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, deaths from earthquakes in Italy peaked at 120,000 deaths in 1693 and was at its lowest, 1 deaths, in 1861.
Italy ranks 8th of 51 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Deaths from earthquakes in Italy, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1511 | 3,000 deaths | — |
| 1542 | 113 deaths | -96.2% |
| 1561 | 600 deaths | +431.0% |
| 1570 | 125 deaths | -79.2% |
| 1613 | 103 deaths | -17.6% |
| 1627 | 5,000 deaths | +4754.4% |
| 1631 | 4,000 deaths | -20.0% |
| 1638 | 9,633 deaths | +140.8% |
| 1640 | 300 deaths | -96.9% |
| 1654 | 600 deaths | +100.0% |
| 1659 | 2,035 deaths | +239.2% |
| 1672 | 1,500 deaths | -26.3% |
| 1688 | 5,311 deaths | +254.1% |
| 1690 | 10 deaths | -99.8% |
| 1693 | 120,000 deaths | +1199900.0% |
| 1694 | 4,057 deaths | -96.6% |
| 1695 | 31 deaths | -99.2% |
| 1702 | 150 deaths | +383.9% |
| 1703 | 50,000 deaths | +33233.3% |
| 1706 | 1,000 deaths | -98.0% |
| 1726 | 250 deaths | -75.0% |
| 1730 | 200 deaths | -20.0% |
| 1731 | 3,600 deaths | +1700.0% |
| 1732 | 1,940 deaths | -46.1% |
| 1757 | 10,000 deaths | +415.5% |
| 1767 | 40 deaths | -99.6% |
| 1768 | 120 deaths | +200.0% |
| 1783 | 31,500 deaths | +26150.0% |
| 1789 | 500 deaths | -98.4% |
| 1791 | 15 deaths | -97.0% |
| 1796 | 7 deaths | -53.3% |
| 1805 | 5,600 deaths | +79900.0% |
| 1808 | 2 deaths | -100.0% |
| 1818 | 172 deaths | +8500.0% |
| 1823 | 22 deaths | -87.2% |
| 1828 | 28 deaths | +27.3% |
| 1831 | 4 deaths | -85.7% |
| 1832 | 22 deaths | +450.0% |
| 1834 | 60 deaths | +172.7% |
| 1835 | 100 deaths | +66.7% |
| 1836 | 610 deaths | +510.0% |
| 1837 | 5 deaths | -99.2% |
| 1846 | 56 deaths | +1020.0% |
| 1851 | 671 deaths | +1098.2% |
| 1853 | 12 deaths | -98.2% |
| 1854 | 468 deaths | +3800.0% |
| 1857 | 20,000 deaths | +4173.5% |
| 1859 | 100 deaths | -99.5% |
| 1861 | 1 deaths | -99.0% |
| 1865 | 60 deaths | +5900.0% |
| 1870 | 136 deaths | +126.7% |
| 1873 | 55 deaths | -59.6% |
| 1879 | 10 deaths | -81.8% |
| 1881 | 121 deaths | +1110.0% |
| 1882 | 11 deaths | -90.9% |
| 1883 | 2,313 deaths | +20927.3% |
| 1887 | 600 deaths | -74.1% |
| 1894 | 101 deaths | -83.2% |
| 1905 | 557 deaths | +451.5% |
| 1907 | 158 deaths | -71.6% |
| 1908 | 80,000 deaths | +50532.9% |
| 1914 | 120 deaths | -99.9% |
| 1915 | 29,978 deaths | +24881.7% |
| 1916 | 4 deaths | -100.0% |
| 1920 | 1,400 deaths | +34900.0% |
| 1930 | 1,448 deaths | +3.4% |
| 1933 | 10 deaths | -99.3% |
| 1940 | 1 deaths | -90.0% |
| 1961 | 15 deaths | +1400.0% |
| 1962 | 16 deaths | +6.7% |
| 1968 | 224 deaths | +1300.0% |
| 1971 | 26 deaths | -88.4% |
| 1972 | 3 deaths | -88.5% |
| 1976 | 994 deaths | +33033.3% |
| 1978 | 7 deaths | -99.3% |
| 1979 | 5 deaths | -28.6% |
| 1980 | 4,689 deaths | +93680.0% |
| 1981 | 12 deaths | -99.7% |
| 1984 | 9 deaths | -25.0% |
| 1985 | 1 deaths | -88.9% |
| 1990 | 21 deaths | +2000.0% |
| 1997 | 14 deaths | -33.3% |
| 2002 | 32 deaths | +128.6% |
| 2009 | 310 deaths | +868.8% |
| 2012 | 24 deaths | -92.3% |
| 2016 | 302 deaths | +1158.3% |
| 2017 | 36 deaths | -88.1% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 36 deaths is above the median for high income countries, which is 2 deaths, 18.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
- Italy's 36 deaths is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2 deaths, 18.0× the median. (13 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Deaths from earthquakes in Italy 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1693 | +1199900.0% | 10 deaths | 120,000 deaths |
| 1980 | +93680.0% | 5 deaths | 4,689 deaths |
| 1805 | +79900.0% | 7 deaths | 5,600 deaths |
| 1908 | +50532.9% | 158 deaths | 80,000 deaths |
| 1920 | +34900.0% | 4 deaths | 1,400 deaths |
| 1703 | +33233.3% | 150 deaths | 50,000 deaths |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1510s | 3,000 deaths | 3,000 deaths | 3,000 deaths | 1 |
| 1540s | 113 deaths | 113 deaths | 113 deaths | 1 |
| 1560s | 600 deaths | 600 deaths | 600 deaths | 1 |
| 1570s | 125 deaths | 125 deaths | 125 deaths | 1 |
| 1610s | 103 deaths | 103 deaths | 103 deaths | 1 |
| 1620s | 5,000 deaths | 5,000 deaths | 5,000 deaths | 1 |
| 1630s | 6,816 deaths | 4,000 deaths | 9,633 deaths | 2 |
| 1640s | 300 deaths | 300 deaths | 300 deaths | 1 |
| 1650s | 1,318 deaths | 600 deaths | 2,035 deaths | 2 |
| 1670s | 1,500 deaths | 1,500 deaths | 1,500 deaths | 1 |
| 1680s | 5,311 deaths | 5,311 deaths | 5,311 deaths | 1 |
| 1690s | 31,024 deaths | 10 deaths | 120,000 deaths | 4 |
| 1700s | 17,050 deaths | 150 deaths | 50,000 deaths | 3 |
| 1720s | 250 deaths | 250 deaths | 250 deaths | 1 |
| 1730s | 1,913 deaths | 200 deaths | 3,600 deaths | 3 |
| 1750s | 10,000 deaths | 10,000 deaths | 10,000 deaths | 1 |
| 1760s | 80 deaths | 40 deaths | 120 deaths | 2 |
| 1780s | 16,000 deaths | 500 deaths | 31,500 deaths | 2 |
| 1790s | 11 deaths | 7 deaths | 15 deaths | 2 |
| 1800s | 2,801 deaths | 2 deaths | 5,600 deaths | 2 |
| 1810s | 172 deaths | 172 deaths | 172 deaths | 1 |
| 1820s | 25 deaths | 22 deaths | 28 deaths | 2 |
| 1830s | 133.5 deaths | 4 deaths | 610 deaths | 6 |
| 1840s | 56 deaths | 56 deaths | 56 deaths | 1 |
| 1850s | 4,250 deaths | 12 deaths | 20,000 deaths | 5 |
| 1860s | 30.5 deaths | 1 deaths | 60 deaths | 2 |
| 1870s | 67 deaths | 10 deaths | 136 deaths | 3 |
| 1880s | 761.25 deaths | 11 deaths | 2,313 deaths | 4 |
| 1890s | 101 deaths | 101 deaths | 101 deaths | 1 |
| 1900s | 26,905 deaths | 158 deaths | 80,000 deaths | 3 |
| 1910s | 10,034 deaths | 4 deaths | 29,978 deaths | 3 |
| 1920s | 1,400 deaths | 1,400 deaths | 1,400 deaths | 1 |
| 1930s | 729 deaths | 10 deaths | 1,448 deaths | 2 |
| 1940s | 1 deaths | 1 deaths | 1 deaths | 1 |
| 1960s | 85 deaths | 15 deaths | 224 deaths | 3 |
| 1970s | 207 deaths | 3 deaths | 994 deaths | 5 |
| 1980s | 1,178 deaths | 1 deaths | 4,689 deaths | 4 |
| 1990s | 17.5 deaths | 14 deaths | 21 deaths | 2 |
| 2000s | 171 deaths | 32 deaths | 310 deaths | 2 |
| 2010s | 120.67 deaths | 24 deaths | 302 deaths | 3 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More health data for Italy
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.44 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1206 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,408 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 80 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.23 % 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 0.0164 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -1.07 % 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 Italy?
- Deaths from earthquakes in Italy was 36 deaths in 2017, 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 120,000 deaths in 1693.
- What is the lowest deaths from earthquakes recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 deaths in 1861.
- How does Italy rank for deaths from earthquakes?
- Italy ranks 8th out of 51 countries with data for 2017.
- Is deaths from earthquakes rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 88.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Italy 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 — 87 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.