Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan has catalogued 169 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 66th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.8.
Azerbaijan ranks 66th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 8 M4+ events a year alongside 7 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 7 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.
- 169
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 7
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.8
- Strongest
- ~8
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Azerbaijan is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 169 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 7 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.8.
- 2000
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 35 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.4 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Kazakhstan sits immediately above at 174 events and Democratic Republic of the Congo sits immediately below at 161.
Where Azerbaijan sits in the catalog
Rank 66th of 187 tracked countries (65th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Kazakhstan sits immediately above at 174 events and Democratic Republic of the Congo sits immediately below at 161.
- Kazakhstan - next more active (174 M4+)
- Democratic Republic of the Congo - next less active (161 M4+)
Azerbaijan's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
169 Top 35% higher than 65% of 187 countries
Each bar is a 500-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) · 2005-present
How Azerbaijan compares to its nearest peers
Azerbaijan ranks in the 65th percentile for M4+ frequency among all 187 tracked countries. Plotted here against its 20 nearest-ranked peers by how OFTEN they shake (M4+ count) against how HARD the strongest one ever hit (max recorded magnitude).
Read the chart (all 21 values)
| Country | M4+ events | Strongest magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Mayotte | 232 | M5.9 |
| Haiti | 217 | M7.2 |
| MX | 202 | M5.8 |
| Mongolia | 196 | M6.7 |
| South Africa | 191 | M5.4 |
| Morocco | 187 | M6.8 |
| Iraq | 185 | M7.3 |
| Saint Helena | 184 | M6.0 |
| Romania | 183 | M5.6 |
| Kazakhstan | 174 | M6.1 |
| Azerbaijan (this page) | 169 | M5.6 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 161 | M6.8 |
| Guadeloupe | 152 | M6.5 |
| Turkmenistan | 143 | M5.4 |
| Mauritius | 135 | M6.0 |
| Zimbabwe | 135 | M7.0 |
| Poland | 130 | M5.0 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 129 | M6.6 |
| Samoa | 116 | M6.2 |
| Saudi Arabia | 114 | M5.7 |
| Anguilla | 113 | M5.6 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Azerbaijan by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1920
1920: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1924
1924: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1986
1986: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1989
1989: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1998
1998: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2000
2000: 2 major (M6+) events
2
What this shows Azerbaijan's most active year for major earthquakes was 2000 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
0 of 169 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 7 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Azerbaijan.
M6.0-6.9
7
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 7 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 35 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
7
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Azerbaijan
The 7 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.8 | 15 km SSE of Baku, Azerbaijan | 50.4 km | Nov 25, 2000 |
| 6.5 | 23 km SSE of Badamdar, Azerbaijan | 33.0 km | Nov 25, 2000 |
| 6.5 | 103 km E of Pirallah?, Azerbaijan | 54.8 km | Sep 16, 1989 |
| 6.5 | 105 km E of Pirallah?, Azerbaijan | 33.0 km | Mar 6, 1986 |
| 6.3 | 23 km E of Salo?lu, Azerbaijan | 15.0 km | Feb 20, 1920 |
| 6.0 | 15 km NE of Prishibinskoye, Azerbaijan | 35.0 km | Feb 19, 1924 |
| 6.0 | 10 km SE of Lerik, Azerbaijan | 26.0 km | Jul 9, 1998 |
Significant earthquake record (7 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Azerbaijan since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 23 km SSE of Badamdar, Azerbaijan | 33.0 km | Nov 25, 2000 |
| 6.8 | 15 km SSE of Baku, Azerbaijan | 50.4 km | Nov 25, 2000 |
| 6.0 | 10 km SE of Lerik, Azerbaijan | 26.0 km | Jul 9, 1998 |
| 6.5 | 103 km E of Pirallah?, Azerbaijan | 54.8 km | Sep 16, 1989 |
| 6.5 | 105 km E of Pirallah?, Azerbaijan | 33.0 km | Mar 6, 1986 |
| 6.0 | 15 km NE of Prishibinskoye, Azerbaijan | 35.0 km | Feb 19, 1924 |
| 6.3 | 23 km E of Salo?lu, Azerbaijan | 15.0 km | Feb 20, 1920 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Azerbaijan-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Azerbaijan-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Azerbaijan? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Azerbaijan? ▼
How seismically active is Azerbaijan? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Azerbaijan? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Azerbaijan's figures
169 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M6.8 · average M4.4 · 7 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Jun 12, 2026. Computed from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat). See the methodology and USGS ComCat.
Disclaimer: PlainQuake is informational only, not an emergency service or engineering advice. See our full disclaimer.
What Azerbaijan's numbers mean
Azerbaijan ranks 66th of 187 countries tracked - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity.
- About 8 M4+ earthquakes strike Azerbaijan per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 2000 was the busiest year on record with 2 significant events. See the full country ranking
- 100% of Azerbaijan's catalogued major earthquakes are shallow (under 70km) - shallow events generally produce stronger surface shaking than deep ones of the same magnitude. How depth affects shaking
- The strongest catalogued event reached M6.8. Compare against neighboring or similarly-ranked countries before drawing conclusions from magnitude alone. Compare strongest earthquakes
Figures reflect the USGS ComCat catalog (M4+ since 2005, M6+ significant events since 1900) - not a real-time hazard assessment. For official guidance, see the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 315,341 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,428 significant M6+ events (USGS ComCat, 2005-present) -- no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-07-19.