Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Namibia
Namibia has catalogued 20 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 120th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M5.4.
Namibia ranks 120th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity, averaging about 1 M4+ events a year alongside 0 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900.
- 20
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 0
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M5.4
- Strongest
- ~1
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Namibia is below the global median in catalogued seismic activity, with 20 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 0 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 5.4.
- N/A
- no yearly breakdown available
- N/A
- average recorded event depth
- 0%
- of events are shallow (<70 km, the most damaging kind)
Average catalogued magnitude is 4.6 - most events are moderate M4-5 tremors that are felt but rarely cause damage. On the M4+ activity ladder Mauritania sits immediately above at 21 events and Grenada sits immediately below at 19.
Where Namibia sits in the catalog
Rank 120th of 187 tracked countries (35th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Mauritania sits immediately above at 21 events and Grenada sits immediately below at 19.
- Mauritania - next more active (21 M4+)
- Grenada - next less active (19 M4+)
Same M4+ count, broken by peak magnitude
2 tracked countries share Namibia's exact count of 20 M4+ events since 2005. Among that cohort, Namibia ranks 1st of 2 by strongest recorded magnitude (M5.4).
| Country | M4+ count | Strongest |
|---|---|---|
| Namibia (this page) | 20 | M5.4 |
| Norway | 20 | M5.2 |
0 of 20 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Namibia-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Namibia-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Namibia? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Namibia? ▼
How seismically active is Namibia? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Namibia? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Namibia's figures
20 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M5.4 · average M4.6 · 0 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp May 14, 2022. 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 Namibia's numbers mean
Namibia ranks 120th of 187 countries tracked - a country with limited but non-zero seismic activity.
- About 1 M4+ earthquakes strike Namibia per year on average. See the full country ranking
- 0% of Namibia'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 M5.4. 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.