Mapped: Top 100 Countries Hit by Earthquakes in 2024

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Mapped: Top 100 Countries Hit by Earthquakes in 2024

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See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.

This map ranks the top 100 countries hit by earthquakes in 2024.

Mapped: Top 100 Countries Hit by Earthquakes in 2024

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

  • Ranked first, Mexico saw nearly 2,000 earthquakes (magnitude 4.0+) in 2024.
  • For reference, the U.S. only saw 168 earthquakes in the same time period.
  • Japan saw the strongest earthquake (magnitude 7.5) in 2024.

Most people have a fair idea of how tectonic plates work, and how their movement causes earthquakes.

But how does that impact countries in these seismic zones? We map data from Earthquakeslist.org, which ranks the top 100 countries hit by earthquakes in 2024.

Only earthquakes above a 4.0 magnitude and whose epicenters were within 300 km (186 miles) of the country were counted.

Ranked: Top 100 Countries Hit by Earthquakes in 2024

Mexico saw 1,971 earthquakes (with a magnitude above 4.0) in 2024, the most worldwide.

Ranked second, Indonesia witnessed 1,872 the same year. The strongest earthquake for both countries registered a 6.4 in magnitude.

RankCountry# of Earthquakes (2024)Strongest Magnitude
1🇲🇽 Mexico1,9716.4
2🇮🇩 Indonesia1,8726.4
3🇯🇵 Japan1,5637.5
4🇵🇭 The Philippines9977.1
5🇨🇱 Chile8757.4
6🇬🇹 Guatemala7046.4
7🇹🇼 Taiwan6557.4
8🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea6376.9
9🇵🇪 Peru6245.8
10🇨🇳 China5917.0
11🇦🇷 Argentina3987.4
12🇸🇻 El Salvador3676.2
13🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan3627.0
14🇦🇫 Afghanistan3136.4
15🇹🇴 Tonga3096.9
16🇹🇯 Tajikistan3096.4
17🇷🇺 Russia2927.0
18🇳🇮 Nicaragua2836.2
19🇻🇺 Vanuatu2737.3
20🇭🇳 Honduras2716.2
21🇰🇿 Kazakhstan2687.0
22🇵🇰 Pakistan2526.4
23🇹🇱 Timor-Leste2516.1
24🇨🇷 Costa Rica2416.2
25🇮🇳 India2075.7
26🇹🇷 Türkiye2056.0
27🇬🇷 Greece2055.8
28🇮🇷 Iran1985.4
29🇫🇯 Fiji1965.7
30🇧🇴 Bolivia1905.7
31🇬🇺 Guam1695.5
32🇺🇸 U.S.1687.0
33🇲🇵 Northern
Mariana Islands
1586.3
34🇵🇦 Panama1535.8
35🇺🇿 Uzbekistan1525.2
36🇨🇴 Colombia1375.6
37🇪🇹 Ethiopia1275.4
38🇳🇿 New Zealand1245.8
39🇪🇨 Ecuador1245.5
40🇼🇸 Samoa1125.7
41🇻🇪 Venezuela1056.0
42🇲🇲 Myanmar895.7
43🇵🇷 Puerto Rico735.6
44🇸🇾 Syria676.0
45🇦🇸 American Samoa675.4
46🇸🇧 Solomon Islands645.8
47🇨🇦 Canada635.7
48🇮🇶 Iraq605.4
49🇩🇴 Dominican Republic585.6
50🇧🇩 Bangladesh574.9
51🇦🇱 Albania565.4
52🇮🇹 Italy555.4
53🇦🇿 Azerbaijan544.9
54🇲🇰 North Macedonia485.4
55🇧🇬 Bulgaria445.2
56🇦🇲 Armenia434.9
57🇱🇾 Libya425.3
58🇬🇪 Georgia424.9
59🇧🇷 Brazil406.6
60🇳🇵 Nepal385.0
61🇴🇲 Oman375.0
62🇲🇫 Saint Martin365.0
62🇦🇮 Anguilla365.0
64🇻🇮 U.S. Virgin Islands345.6
65🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia344.9
66🇲🇳 Mongolia335.0
67🇼🇫 Wallis and Futuna325.5
68🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands315.0
69🇨🇽 Christmas Island305.2
70🇦🇪 UAE305.1
71🇧🇱 Saint Barthelemy305.0
72🇹🇿 Tanzania285.0
73🇳🇺 Niue265.6
74🇭🇷 Croatia265.4
75🇹🇲 Turkmenistan264.8
76🇬🇩 Grenada246.0
77🇰🇼 Kuwait244.9
78🇪🇷 Eritrea235.4
79🇨🇾 Cyprus234.9
80🇽🇰 Kosovo225.4
81🇶🇦 Qatar225.1
82🇲🇸 Montserrat225.0
82🇲🇾 Malaysia225.0
82🇰🇳 Saint Kitts
and Nevis
225.0
85🇻🇨 Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines
224.9
86🇹🇹 Trinidad
and Tobago
216.0
87🇧🇹 Bhutan214.5
88🇲🇪 Montenegro205.4
89🇬🇵 Guadeloupe205.0
89🇦🇬 Antigua
and Barbuda
205.0
89🇩🇲 Dominica205.0
92🇭🇹 Haiti195.9
93🇾🇪 Yemen195.4
94🇨🇺 Cuba186.8
95🇱🇦 Laos185.1
95🇻🇳 Vietnam185.1
97🇩🇿 Algeria185.0
97🇸🇯 Svalbard and
Jan Mayen
185.0
99🇷🇴 Romania175.2
100🇧🇦 Bosnia and
Herzegovina
165.4

Note: Rankings determined by stronger magnitude for countries with the same # of earthquakes. For matching magnitudes, rankings are tied.

Japan ranked third (1,563) but one of them was both the strongest and deadliest of the year. The Noto earthquake hit on New Year’s day, causing widespread damage and destruction and triggering a tsunami.

More than 500 people died, and it became Japan’s second-deadliest quake after the one in 2011.

These three countries are usually at the top of the rankings every year. And a quick glance at the map reveals why. All three are near convergent plate boundaries and this causes frequent earthquakes.

On the other hand, Sub-Saharan Africa is a notable blank spot on the map. This is because most of the region sits well-within the African plate, far from its boundaries to the north and west.

However, towards the east, the African plate is splitting, with the minor Somali plate moving away, causing earthquakes for Ethiopia and Tanzania.

Major Earthquakes in 2025

The 2025 Myanmar Earthquake is the deadliest of the year so far (7.7), killing more than 3,000 people.

It occurred along the Sagaing Fault, which is a transform boundary between the Indian plate and the Sunda plate. The epicenter was close to the country’s second-largest city and neighboring China and Thailand also felt the effects.

In terms of pure numbers, Indonesia has seen the most earthquakes so far in 2024, (511), with Mexico just behind (475).

Greece, Turkiye, and China round out the current top five.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

Want more insight on the 2024 Noto Earthquake? Creator Preyash visualized the epicenter on a map in their graphic, Tremors of Resilience: Japan, for a bird’s-eye view of the affected regions.

Discover more visuals with Voronoi by Visual Capitalist Logo

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