Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Djibouti
Djibouti has catalogued 261 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 54th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.5.
Djibouti ranks 54th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 12 M4+ events a year alongside 10 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The record is episodic - 60% of those M6+ events fall in 1989 alone.
- 261
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 10
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.5
- Strongest
- ~12
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Djibouti is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 261 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 10 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.5.
- 1989
- busiest year (6 major events)
- 12 km
- average recorded event depth
- 100%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.5 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Honduras sits immediately above at 270 events and Algeria sits immediately below at 245.
Catalog event strip
Event tape DJIBOUTI · Djibouti M4+ · 54th/187
Djibouti · 261 M4+ · max M6.5 · 10 M6+
- DEPTH 261
- PHOTO 54th/187
- BUSY M6.5
- SHAL 10
- PCT near Honduras
- VS-PEER 100% shallow
Stamps derive from this country's USGS ComCat row (M4+ book, rank, peak magnitude, M6+ record, ladder neighbour, depth/peak year), not a hazard forecast. PlainQuake is informational only - not professional advice and not a substitute for official USGS guidance. See our disclaimer. Verify with USGS ComCat → · Read with methodology → · How earthquakes are measured → · Reading earthquake data → · All country catalog rows → · Countries ranked →
Observed impact record
What ComCat observed after earthquakes in Djibouti
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 9 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 7.9. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 9
- Average observed MMI
- 7.9
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 0 / 0
Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) GeoJSON impact fields. Missing MMI, alert, and tsunami values remain unreported rather than being treated as zero.
Where Djibouti sits in the catalog
Rank 54th of 187 tracked countries (71th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Honduras sits immediately above at 270 events and Algeria sits immediately below at 245.
Djibouti's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
261 Top 29% higher than 71% 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
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Djibouti by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1945 1
1945: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1960 1
1960: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1961 1
1961: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1989
1989: 6 major (M6+) events
6
- 1992 1
1992: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Djibouti's most active year for major earthquakes was 1989 (6 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
0 of 261 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 10 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Djibouti.
M6.0-6.9
10
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 10 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 12 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
10
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Djibouti
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.5 | 12 km ENE of Gâlâfi, Djibouti | 11.6 km | Aug 20, 1989 |
| 6.4 | 17 km NNE of Gâlâfi, Djibouti | 15.8 km | Aug 21, 1989 |
| 6.2 | 4 km WSW of Arta, Djibouti | 7.4 km | Mar 5, 1992 |
| 6.2 | 10 km WNW of Djibouti, Djibouti | 15.0 km | Mar 11, 1961 |
| 6.1 | 26 km NNW of Gâlâfi, Djibouti | 9.7 km | Aug 21, 1989 |
| 6.1 | 20 km N of Gâlâfi, Djibouti | 11.7 km | Aug 20, 1989 |
| 6.1 | 18 km NNE of Gâlâfi, Djibouti | 10.0 km | Aug 20, 1989 |
| 6.1 | 18 km N of Gâlâfi, Djibouti | 10.0 km | Aug 20, 1989 |
| 6.1 | 26 km NNW of 'Ali Sabieh, Djibouti | 15.0 km | Jan 4, 1960 |
| 6.0 | 39 km SSE of Holhol, Djibouti | 15.0 km | Oct 28, 1945 |
Significant earthquake record (10 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Djibouti since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.2 | 4 km WSW of Arta, Djibouti | 7.4 km | Mar 5, 1992 |
| 6.1 | 26 km NNW of Gâlâfi, Djibouti | 9.7 km | Aug 21, 1989 |
| 6.4 | 17 km NNE of Gâlâfi, Djibouti | 15.8 km | Aug 21, 1989 |
| 6.1 | 20 km N of Gâlâfi, Djibouti | 11.7 km | Aug 20, 1989 |
| 6.1 | 18 km NNE of Gâlâfi, Djibouti | 10.0 km | Aug 20, 1989 |
| 6.1 | 18 km N of Gâlâfi, Djibouti | 10.0 km | Aug 20, 1989 |
| 6.5 | 12 km ENE of Gâlâfi, Djibouti | 11.6 km | Aug 20, 1989 |
| 6.2 | 10 km WNW of Djibouti, Djibouti | 15.0 km | Mar 11, 1961 |
| 6.1 | 26 km NNW of 'Ali Sabieh, Djibouti | 15.0 km | Jan 4, 1960 |
| 6.0 | 39 km SSE of Holhol, Djibouti | 15.0 km | Oct 28, 1945 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Djibouti-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Djibouti-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Showing 6 of 186 countries with a recorded max magnitude.
According to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program, PlainQuake's figures are rendered directly from 317,293 recorded M4+ earthquakes and 14,444 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 2026-08-26.