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Country profile · USGS ComCat

Earthquakes in Croatia

Croatia has catalogued 65 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 93rd of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.4.

Croatia ranks 93rd of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 3 M4+ events a year alongside 5 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 5 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.

65
M4+ events (since 2005)
5
Major M6+ (since 1900)
M6.4
Strongest
~3
M4+ per year

The verdict

Croatia is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 65 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 5 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.4.

1962
busiest year (2 major events)
13 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 Barbados sits immediately above at 66 events and Bangladesh sits immediately below at 64.

Where Croatia sits in the catalog

Rank 93rd of 187 tracked countries (50th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Barbados sits immediately above at 66 events and Bangladesh sits immediately below at 64.

Croatia's M4+ count vs. every tracked country

Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat

65 Top 50% higher than 50% of 187 countries

0–500: 143 countries (76%). This entry sits in this band. 500–1,000: 11 countries (6%). Above this entry. 1,000–1,500: 5 countries (3%). Above this entry. 1,500–2,000: 5 countries (3%). Above this entry. 2,000–2,500: 1 countries (1%). Above this entry. 2,500–3,000: 1 countries (1%). Above this entry. 3,000–3,500: 2 countries (1%). Above this entry. 3,500–4,000: 1 countries (1%). Above this entry. 4,000–4,500: 3 countries (2%). Above this entry. 4,500–5,000: 3 countries (2%). Above this entry. 5,000–5,500: 12 countries (6%). Above this entry. Croatia 0 5,000+ every tracked country, bucketed by value

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 Croatia compares to its nearest peers

Croatia ranks in the 50th 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).

Croatia vs. its 20 nearest-ranked peer countries, USGS ComCat 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 21 entities by M4+ events since 2005 (X) and Strongest recorded magnitude (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. Frequent and severeRare but severeFrequent, capped so farLower on both axes 405060708090100 M4M5M6M7M8 M4+ events since 2005 Strongest recorded magnitude
Croatia vs. its 20 nearest-ranked peer countries, USGS ComCat
Read the chart (all 21 values)
Country M4+ events Strongest magnitude
Spain 88 M6.3
Trinidad and Tobago 88 M6.1
Palau 84 M6.2
Martinique 83 M7.4
Vietnam 80 M5.3
Greenland 77 M4.9
Malawi 73 M6.0
Uganda 73 M5.9
Bosnia and Herzegovina 69 M5.7
Barbados 66 M6.5
Croatia (this page) 65 M6.4
Bangladesh 64 M5.5
Zambia 62 M5.9
Federated States of Micronesia 59 M6.3
Mozambique 59 M5.6
Dominica 55 M5.6
France 53 M5.2
Sudan 51 M5.3
Thailand 48 M6.1
Laos 47 M6.3
Egypt 45 M5.5

Major (M6+) earthquakes in Croatia by year

Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year

Value

What this shows Croatia's most active year for major earthquakes was 1962 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.

Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) As of 2005–present
0%100%1.5%
Share of Croatia's M4+ catalog that reached significant M6+ severity

1 of 65 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.

Magnitude distribution of major events

Breakdown of the 5 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Croatia.

M6.0-6.9

5

100.0%

Depth of major earthquakes

Hypocentral depth of the 5 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 13 km.

Croatia100%Shallow (<70 km)Intermediate (70-300 km)Deep (>300 km)
Depth distribution of Croatia's M6+ events, USGS ComCat

Shallow (<70 km)

5

100.0% of events

Intermediate (70–300 km)

0

0.0% of events

Deep (>300 km)

0

0.0% of events

Strongest earthquakes in Croatia

The 5 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).

Mag Location Depth
6.4 2 km WSW of Petrinja, Croatia 10.0 km
6.2 4 km ENE of Baška Voda, Croatia 15.0 km
6.2 2 km SE of Grabovci, Croatia 15.0 km
6.2 4 km SW of Tu?epi, Croatia 15.0 km
6.0 9 km ESE of Podgora, Croatia 10.0 km

Significant earthquake record (5 events)

Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Croatia since 1900, most recent first.

Mag Location Depth
6.4 2 km WSW of Petrinja, Croatia 10.0 km
6.0 9 km ESE of Podgora, Croatia 10.0 km
6.2 4 km ENE of Baška Voda, Croatia 15.0 km
6.2 4 km SW of Tu?epi, Croatia 15.0 km
6.2 2 km SE of Grabovci, Croatia 15.0 km

Other countries in this catalog sample

A Croatia-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.

Philippines

14,262 M4+ events · strongest M7.8

M7.8

Russia

12,525 M4+ events · strongest M8.8

M8.8

Reunion

2 M4+ events · strongest M5.3

M5.3

Solomon Islands

6,129 M4+ events · strongest M7.8

M7.8

Portugal

423 M4+ events · strongest M6.3

M6.3

Haiti

217 M4+ events · strongest M7.2

M7.2

Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster

A second Croatia-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.

Barbados

66 M4+ events

M6.5

Micronesia

672 M4+ events

M6.6

Antigua and Barbuda

129 M4+ events

M6.6

Italy

609 M4+ events

M6.6

Kazakhstan

174 M4+ events

M6.1

Iceland

982 M4+ events

M6.3

Understand the data

Barbados

Next more active on the M4+ ladder.

Bangladesh

Next less active on the M4+ ladder.

Country rankings

Every country by M4+ activity.

Frequently asked questions

How many earthquakes have occurred in Croatia? ▼
The USGS catalog records 65 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or greater in Croatia since 2005, an average of about 3 per year. Separately, 5 significant (M6+) earthquakes are catalogued back to 1900.
What was the strongest earthquake in Croatia? ▼
The strongest catalogued earthquake in Croatia measured magnitude 6.4. Across the full M4+ catalog the average magnitude is 4.4 - most earthquakes are moderate.
How seismically active is Croatia? ▼
By catalogued M4+ activity, Croatia ranks 93rd of 187 countries worldwide - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity. Its busiest year for major (M6+) events was 1962, with 2.
How deep are earthquakes in Croatia? ▼
Across the 5 major (M6+) events on record, the average depth is 13 km. 100% were shallow (under 70 km), where surface shaking is strongest at a given magnitude.
Where does this data come from? ▼
Every figure is derived from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat). M4+ counts cover 2005 onward (the period of consistent global completeness); the significant-event series covers M6+ back to 1900. Nothing is modelled or estimated.

About Croatia's figures

65 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M6.4 · average M4.4 · 5 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp May 25, 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 Croatia's numbers mean

Croatia ranks 93rd of 187 countries tracked - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity.

  • About 3 M4+ earthquakes strike Croatia per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 1962 was the busiest year on record with 2 significant events. See the full country ranking
  • 100% of Croatia'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 M6.4. 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.