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OFDA/CRED International Disaster Data

Our World in Data presents the empirical evidence on global development in entries dedicated to specific topics.

The data presented here relates to trends discussed in our entry on Natural Disasters.

Annual global number of deaths from natural catastrophes per decade, 1900-20151

Yearly average
global annual deaths from natural disasters,
by decade
DroughtEarthquakeExtreme temperatureFloodImpactLandslideMass movement (dry)StormVolcanic activityWildfire
1900s130000
17302
063
05
13
1801
4494
0
1910s8500
6280
010138
0012
5995
648
107
1920s472400
54935
0428
043
011999
514
10
1930s023770
169
436147
0103
49384
318
7
1940s345000
16187
010103
01753
012712
213
25
1950s02093
150
205830
0215
03126
510
1
1960s150865
5236
113
3239
0504
21813393
324
7
1970s11908
44022
155
5078
0738
735734
53
1
1980s55727
6015
534
5155
0623
1274667
2400
40
1990s311
10359
932
9549
0833
8721115
97
86
2000s115
45364
9106
5401
0772
2817213
24
63
2010s3339
43302
11644
5811
01069
133177
71
52

Annual global death rate (per 100,000 of the world population) per decade from natural catastrophes, 1900-20152

Yearly average
rate of deaths
from disasters,
by decade
DroughtEarthquakeExtreme temperatureFloodImpactLandslideMass movement (dry)StormVolcanic activityWildfire
1900s7.65
1.02
00
00
0
0.11
0.26
0
1910s

0.47
0.35
00.56
000
0.33
0.04
0.01
1920s24.2
2.81
00.02
00
00.61
0.03
0
1930s01.08
0.01
19.85
00
0
0.43
0.01
0
1940s14.58
0.68
00.43
00.07
00.54
0.01
0
1950s00.08
0.01
7.46
00.01
0
0.11
0.02
0
1960s4.54
0.16
0
0.1
00.02
0
0.40
0.01
0
1970s0.29
1.08
0
0.13
00.02
0
0.88
0
0
1980s1.15
0.12
0.01
0.11
00.01
0
0.1
0.05
0
1990s0.01
0.18
0.02
0.17
00.01
0
0.37
0
0
2000s0
0.7
0.14
0.08
00.01
0
0.26
0
0
2010s0.05
0.61
0.16

0.08
00.02
0
0.04
0
0