Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Egypt
Egypt has catalogued 45 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 103rd of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.2.
Egypt ranks 103rd of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 2 M4+ events a year alongside 4 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The M6+ record here is thin - 4 events in all, so a single quake moves every figure on this page.
- 45
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 4
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.2
- Strongest
- ~2
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Egypt is below the global median in catalogued seismic activity, with 45 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 4 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.2.
- 1955
- busiest year (1 major events)
- 23 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 Laos sits immediately above at 47 events and Oman sits immediately below at 44.
Where Egypt sits in the catalog
Rank 103rd of 187 tracked countries (45th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Laos sits immediately above at 47 events and Oman sits immediately below at 44.
Egypt's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
45 Top 55% higher than 45% 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 Egypt compares to its nearest peers
Egypt ranks in the 45th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Croatia | 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 (this page) | 45 | M5.5 |
| Oman | 44 | M5.4 |
| Montenegro | 42 | M5.2 |
| North Macedonia | 42 | M5.5 |
| Rwanda | 42 | M5.9 |
| Jamaica | 39 | M7.7 |
| Syria | 39 | M5.2 |
| Madagascar | 38 | M5.7 |
| Malaysia | 37 | M7.1 |
| Bulgaria | 36 | M5.0 |
| Libya | 36 | M5.2 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Egypt by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1955
1955: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1969
1969: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1993
1993: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1995
1995: 1 major (M6+) events
1
What this shows Egypt's most active year for major earthquakes was 1955 (1 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
0 of 45 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 4 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Egypt.
M7.0-7.9
1
25.0%
M6.0-6.9
3
75.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 4 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 23 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
4
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Egypt
The 4 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.2 | 27 km SSE of Nuwaybi‘a, Egypt | 10.0 km | Nov 22, 1995 |
| 6.6 | 29 km NE of El Gouna, Egypt | 10.0 km | Mar 31, 1969 |
| 6.2 | 129 km NNW of Rosetta, Egypt | 63.7 km | Sep 12, 1955 |
| 6.1 | 27 km NNE of Dahab, Egypt | 10.0 km | Aug 3, 1993 |
Significant earthquake record (4 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Egypt since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.2 | 27 km SSE of Nuwaybi‘a, Egypt | 10.0 km | Nov 22, 1995 |
| 6.1 | 27 km NNE of Dahab, Egypt | 10.0 km | Aug 3, 1993 |
| 6.6 | 29 km NE of El Gouna, Egypt | 10.0 km | Mar 31, 1969 |
| 6.2 | 129 km NNW of Rosetta, Egypt | 63.7 km | Sep 12, 1955 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Egypt-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Egypt-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Egypt? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Egypt? ▼
How seismically active is Egypt? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Egypt? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Egypt's figures
45 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M7.2 · average M4.4 · 4 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Oct 31, 2024. 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 Egypt's numbers mean
Egypt ranks 103rd of 187 countries tracked - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity.
- About 2 M4+ earthquakes strike Egypt per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 1955 was the busiest year on record with 1 significant events. See the full country ranking
- 100% of Egypt'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 M7.2. 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.