List of costliest earthquakes explained

This is a list of major earthquakes by the dollar value of property (public and private) losses directly attributable to the earthquake. Only earthquakes that have caused damage over US$1 billion, adjusted for inflation, are listed here. Wherever possible, indirect and socioeconomic losses are excluded. Damage estimates for particular earthquakes may vary over time as more data becomes available. Losses from earthquake–induced landslides and tsunamis are also be included.

Over $1 billion, adjusted for inflation

EventLocationMagnitudeAdjusted for inflation (year)Historic cost (year)
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami Japandata-sort-value="9.0" 9.1[1] $320.4 billion (2023)$235 billion (2011)[2]
2008 Sichuan earthquake China (Sichuan)data-sort-value="8." 8.0 $212.3 billion (2023)$150 billion (2008)[3]
2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake Turkey, Syriadata-sort-value="7.8" 7.8 and 7.7 $163.3 billion (2023)$163.3 billion (2023)[4] [5]
1994 Northridge earthquake United States (California)6.7$82.2 billion (2023)$40 billion (1994)[6]
1980 Irpinia earthquake Italydata-sort-value="6.9" 6.9$73.9 billion (2024)$20 billion (1980)
1995 Great Hanshin earthquake Japandata-sort-value="6.9" 6.9$60.0–399.9 billion (2023)$30–200 billion (1995)[7] [8]
2010 Canterbury earthquake2011 (February) Christchurch earthquake New Zealand7.0 and 6.2$56.2 billion (2023)$ (2015)[9]
1976 Tangshan earthquake China (Hebei)7.6$53.5 billion (2024)$10 billion (1976)[10]
2004 Chūetsu earthquake Japandata-sort-value="6.8" 6.8$45.1 billion (2024)$28 billion (2004)[11] [12]
1988 Armenian earthquake Armenia6.8$41.7 billion (2024)$16.2 billion (1977)
2016 Kumamoto earthquakes.Japan7.0$30.5–58.4 billion (2024)$24–46 billion (2016)[13]
2011 Sikkim earthquake Indiadata-sort-value="6.9" 6.9$30.2 billion (2024)$22.3 billion (2011)[14]
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami Indonesia9.1-9.3$24.2 billion (2024)$15 billion (2004)[15]
2009 L'Aquila earthquake Italydata-sort-value="6.3" 6.3$22.7 billion (2024)$16 billion (2009)[16]
1972 Nicaragua earthquake Nicaragua6.3$21.6 billion (2024)$2.9 billion (1972)
2012 Northern Italy earthquakes Italydata-sort-value="6.1" 6.1[17] $20.9 billion (2024)$15.8 billion (2012)[18]
2010 Chile earthquake Chiledata-sort-value="8.8" 8.8$20.3–40.6 billion (2024)$15–30 billion (2010)[19]
1939 Chillán earthquake Chile7.9$20.1 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.920" $920 million (1939)
1980 El Asnam earthquake Algeria7.3$19.2 billion (2024)$5.2 billion (1980)
1976 Friuli earthquake Italy6.5$19.2 billion (2024)$3.6 billion (1976)
2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake Japan6.6$18.4 billion (2024)$12.5 billion (2007)
1999 Jiji earthquake Taiwandata-sort-value="7.7" 7.7$18.2 billion (2024)$10 billion (1999)
2024 Noto earthquake Japandata-sort-value="7.5" 7.5$17.6 billion (2024)$17.6 billion (2024)[20]
1985 Mexico City earthquake Mexico8.0$14.1 billion (2024)$5 billion (1985)[21]
2020 Zagreb earthquake Croatia5.3$13.7 billion (2024)$11.7 billion (2020)[22]
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake United States (California)data-sort-value="6.9" 6.9$13.7–14.7 billion (2024)$5.6–6 billion (1989)
1906 San Francisco earthquake United States (California)data-sort-value="7.7" 7.7–7.9$13.6 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.400" $400 million (1906)[23]
2015 Nepal earthquake Nepaldata-sort-value="7.8" 7.8$12.8 billion (2024)$10 billion (2015)[24]
2005 Kashmir earthquake7.6$12.8 billion (2024)$6.6 billion (2005)
2014 Ludian earthquake China6.1$12.7 billion (2024)$9.9 billion (2014)[25]
1979 Montenegro earthquake Montenegro6.9$12.6 billion (2024)$2.7 billion (1979)
1948 Fukui earthquake Japan6.8$12.6 billion (2024)$1 billion (1948)
1999 İzmit earthquake Turkeydata-sort-value="7.6" 7.6$11.9–36.6 billion (2023)$6.5–20 billion (1999)[26]
1976 Guatemala earthquake Guatemala7.6$11.4 billion (2024)$2.1 billion (1976)
2010 Haiti earthquake Haiti7.0$10.9–11.8 billion (2024)$7.8–8.5 billion (2010)[27]
1923 Great Kantō earthquake Japan8.0$10.6 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.600" $600 million (1923)
1977 Vrancea earthquake Romania7.5$10.5 billion (2024)$2.1 billion (1977)
1960 Valdivia earthquake Chile9.5$10.2 billion (2024)$1 billion
2017 Puebla earthquake Mexico7.1$9.9 billion (2024)$8 billion (2017)
1963 Skopje earthquake North Macedonia6.0$9.9 billion (2024)$1 billion
2022 Fukushima earthquake Japan7.3$9.1 billion (2024)$8.8 billion (2022)
2013 Lushan earthquake China6.6$8.8 billion (2024)$6.8 billion (2013)
2021 Fukushima earthquake Japan7.1$8.6 billion (2024)$7.7 billion (2021)
2018 Osaka earthquake Japan5.5$8.4 billion (2024)$7 billion (2018)
2003 Boumerdès earthquake Algeria6.8$8.2 billion (2024)$5 billion (2003)
2017 Iran-Iraq earthquake Iran7.3$7.7 billion (2024)$6.2 billion (2017)[28]
2023 Marrakesh–Safi earthquake Morocco6.8$7 billion (2024)$7 billion (2023)
2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes United States (California)7.1$6.3 billion (2024)$5.3 billion (2019)
2016 Central Italy earthquake Italy6.2$6.3 billion (2024)$5 billion (2016)
1982 North Yemen earthquake Yemen6.3$6.3 billion (2024)$2 billion (1982)
2020 Petrinja earthquake Croatia6.4$5.8 billion (2024)$5 billion (2020)[29]
1953 Concepción earthquake Chile7.6$5.7 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.500" $500 million (1953)
2017 Chiapas earthquake Mexico8.2$4.9 billion (2024)$4 billion (2017)
2006 Yogyakarta earthquake Indonesia6.3$4.6 billion (2024)$3.1 billion (2006)
1985 Algarrobo earthquake Chile8.0$4.2 billion (2024)$1.5 billion (1985)
2016 Ecuador earthquake Ecuador7.8$4.1 billion (2024)$3.3 billion (2016)
1970 Ancash earthquake Peru7.9$4.1 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.530" $530 million (1970)
1971 San Fernando earthquake United States (California)6.6$4.1 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.530" $530 million (1971)[30]
2011 (June) Christchurch earthquake New Zealand6.0$4 billion (2024)$3 billion (2011)
1978 Miyagi earthquake Japan7.7$4 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.865" $865 million (1978)
1964 Alaska earthquake United States (Alaska)9.2$3.9 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.400" $400 million (1964)
2001 Gujarat earthquake India7.7$3.7 billion (2024)$2.1 billion (2001)
2001 Nisqually earthquake United States (Washington)6.8$3.4 billion (2024)$2 billion (2001)[31]
1981 Sirch earthquake Iran7.1$3.3 billion (2024)$1 billion (1981)
2009 Sumatra earthquakes Indonesia7.6$3.1 billion (2024)$2.2 billion (2009)
1968 Belice earthquake Italy6.1$2.8 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.320" $320 million (1968)
1966 Tashkent earthquake Uzbekistan5.2$2.8 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.300" $300 million (1966)
1981 Gulf of Corinth earthquakes Greece6.7$2.7 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.812" $812 million (1981)
2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake Japan6.6$2.4 billion (2024)$2 billion (2018)
1983 Sea of Japan earthquake Japan7.4$2.4 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.800" $800 million (1983)
1972 Ancona earthquake Italy4.9$2.1 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.300" $300 million (1972)
2023 Jishishan earthquake China5.9$2 billion (2024)$2 billion (2023)
2011 Van earthquakes Turkey7.1$2 billion (2024)$1.5 billion (2011)
1986 Vrancea earthquake Romania7.2$2 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.730" $730 million (1977)
2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami Indonesia7.5$1.8 billion (2024)$1.5 billion (2018)
1915 Avezzano earthquake Italy6.7$1.8 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.060" $60 million (1915)
1971 Aconcagua earthquake Chile7.8$1.7 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.236" $236 million (1971)
1944 San Juan earthquake Argentina6.9$1.7 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.100" $100 million (1944)
2021 Haiti earthquake Haiti7.2$1.6 billion (2024)$1.5 billion (2021)[32]
2019 Sichuan earthquake China (Sichuan)5.8$1.5 billion (2024)$1.3 billion (2019)
2010 Baja California earthquake Mexico7.2$1.5 billion (2024)$1.1 billion (2010)
2012 Yiliang earthquakes China5.5$1.3 billion (2024)$1 billion
2010 Kaohsiung earthquake Taiwan6.3$1.3 billion (2024)$1 billion
1983 Popayán earthquake Colombia5.5$1.2 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.410" $410 million (1983)
1967 Caracas earthquake Venezuela6.6$1.2 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.140" $140 million (1967)
1965 Valparaíso earthquake and the El Cobre dam failures Chile7.4$1.2 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.125" $125 million (1965)
1960 Agadir earthquake Morocco5.9$1.2 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.120" $120 million (1960)
2019 Albania earthquake Albania6.4$1.1 billion (2024)$1 billion
1978 Thessaloniki earthquake Greece6.4$1.1 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.250" $250 million (1978)
1953 Ionian earthquake Greece6.8$1.1 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.100" $100 million (1953)
1976 Bali earthquake Indonesia6.5$1 billion (2024)data-sort-value="0.195" $195 million (1976)

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2016 . M 9.1 – near the east coast of Honshu, Japan . 21 November 2016 . Earthquake Hazards Program . USGS.
  2. News: Victoria Kim . Los Angeles Times . 21 March 2011 . 21 March 2011 . Japan damage could reach $235 billion, World Bank estimates . https://web.archive.org/web/20110331005023/http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fgw-japan-quake-world-bank-20110322,0,3799976.story . March 31, 2011 . live .
  3. News: Watts . Jonathan . Sichuan quake: China's earthquake reconstruction to cost $150bn . 27 January 2024 . The Guardian . 15 August 2008.
  4. News: Deprem bölgesinde fatura borçlarının silinmesi için süre uzatıldı. Milat Gazetsi. 22 August 2023. 9 November 2023.
  5. News: Political failure has killed people in Syria before and after the earthquakes . 14 April 2023 . Counsil for Arab-British Understanding . 10 April 2023.
  6. Web site: Jason R. . Patton . Ross . Stein . Volkan . Sevilgen. What if the Northridge earthquake had struck today, on its 25th anniversary, during the U.S. government shutdown?. Temblor Inc. 27 January 2024. 16 January 2016.
  7. Cooper . James D. . Buckle . Ian . Lessons from the Kobe Quake . Public Roads - Autumn 1995 . 1995 . 59 . 2 . 27 January 2024.
  8. Book: Tierney, Kathleen. Emergency response: lessons learned from the Kobe earthquake. University of Delaware Disaster Research Center. 1997.
  9. Web site: February 2016 . The Canterbury rebuild five years on from the Christchurch earthquake . 5 March 2024 . Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
  10. Web site: Tangshan gemecd. gemecd.org. 2015-10-24. 2016-10-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20161022184508/http://gemecd.org/event/132. dead.
  11. Web site: Significant Earthquake Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 20 May 2015.
  12. Book: Guha-Sapir. Debarati. Santos. Indhira. Borde. Alexandre. The Economic Impacts of Natural Disasters. 2013. Oxford University Press. Oxford. 978-0-19-984193-6. 252.
  13. Web site: 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake Survey Report (Preliminary) . Asian Disaster Reduction Center . 27 January 2024.
  14. The September 2011 Sikkim Himalaya earthquake Mw 6.9: is it a plane of detachment earthquake?. Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk. 19 March 2014. Santanu Baruah. Sowrav Saikia. Saurabh Baruah. Pabon K. Bora. Ruben Tatevossian. J. R. Kayal. 7 . 248–263 . 10.1080/19475705.2014.895963 . 128915677 . free.
  15. Web site: Costs beyond measure. 15 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141129181514/http://sschonhardt.com/2011/03/24/costs-beyond-measure/. 29 November 2014. dead. dmy-all.
  16. News: Italy Quake Reconstruction to Cost at Least $16 Billion . 23 October 2012 . . 15 April 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090419231821/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C515989%2C00.html . 19 April 2009 . live .
  17. News: Where can I learn more about the 1906 Earthquake? . Berkeley Seismological Lab . December 11, 2011.
  18. Significant Earthquake Database. National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS). Significant Earthquake Database. National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA. 10.7289/V5TD9V7K. 1972. Data Set.
  19. News: Events and Developments (P. 3, "Calendar of events 2010: February 27"). Yearbook . UNEP . 2011.
  20. News: Gov't estimates central Japan quake damage will reach 2.6 tril. yen . 26 January 2024 . Kyodo News . 26 January 2024.
  21. Web site: Thirty years ago: the 1985 Mexico City earthquakes, a major disaster - Geo-Mexico, the geography of Mexico. geo-mexico.com. 17 September 2015 .
  22. Web site: Šteta od potresa u Zagrebu procijenjena je na vrtoglav iznos. Vlada traži novac od Europske komisije. Evo koliko maksimalno možemo dobiti . 10 June 2020 . . hr . 9 October 2020.
  23. News: The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake . 27 January 2024 . United States Geological Survey.
  24. Web site: Nepal Says Earthquake Rebuilding Cost to Exceed $10 Billion. Unni. Krishnan. Kartikay. Mehrotra. April 28, 2015. Bloomberg News.
  25. Web site: Earthquake in Ludian county (Yunnan), China – Death toll increases further to 617 and +3143 people injured, just under $10 bn damage. earthquake-Report.com . Armand Vervaeck . 19 September 2014 . 3 September 2023 . 21 September 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140921235446/http://earthquake-report.com/2014/08/03/very-strong-earthquake-sichuan-yunnan-guizhou-rg-china-on-august-3-2014/. dead .
  26. News: Reilinger . Robert . Toksoz . Nafi . McClusky . Simon . 1999 Izmit, Turkey Earthquake Was No Surprise . 27 January 2024 . GSA Today . Geological Society of America . 1 January 2000. 10.
  27. Web site: Kimberly. Amadeo. 19 October 2019. Haiti's 2010 Earthquake Caused Lasting Damage. The Balance. 19 October 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191019080126/https://www.thebalance.com/haiti-earthquake-facts-damage-effects-on-economy-3305660. live.
  28. News: Iran earthquake caused damage worth €5 billion. 2017-11-17. www.hindustantimes.com. 2018-04-09. en.
  29. Web site: Jutarnji list - Procijenjena je šteta nastala u potresu na Baniji, upola je manja od one u Zagrebu. www.jutarnji.hr . 13 March 2021. Croatian. 13 March 2021.
  30. News: '71 Valley Quake a Brush With Catastrophe. Kenneth. Reich. February 4, 1996. Los Angeles Times. https://web.archive.org/web/20121015064913/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-02-04/news/mn-32287_1_san-fernando-quake. October 15, 2012. live.
  31. Web site: Effects of the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake on Small Businesses in Washington State. J.. Meszaros. M.. Fiegener. 2002. United States Department of Commerce. April 1, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20150514045931/http://peer.berkeley.edu/publications/nisqually/nisquallysmallbusiness.pdf. May 14, 2015. dead.
  32. News: Haiti: Earthquake Situation Report No. 4 (7 September 2021) . 10 September 2021 . . . 7 September 2021 . 8 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210908181620/https://reliefweb.int/report/haiti/haiti-earthquake-situation-report-no-4-7-september-2021 . live .

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