Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Nepal
Nepal has catalogued 694 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 39th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M7.8.
Nepal ranks 39th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 33 M4+ events a year alongside 17 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. The record is episodic - 29% of those M6+ events fall in 2015 alone.
- 694
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 17
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M7.8
- Strongest
- ~33
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Nepal is more seismically active than most places tracked here, with 694 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 17 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 7.8.
- 2015
- busiest year (5 major events)
- 18 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 Panama sits immediately above at 704 events and Micronesia sits immediately below at 672.
Where Nepal sits in the catalog
Rank 39th of 187 tracked countries (79th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Panama sits immediately above at 704 events and Micronesia sits immediately below at 672.
- Panama - next more active (704 M4+)
- Micronesia - next less active (672 M4+)
Nepal's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
694 Top 21% higher than 79% 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 Nepal compares to its nearest peers
Nepal ranks in the 79th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nicaragua | 1,416 | M6.6 |
| Pakistan | 1,262 | M7.7 |
| Myanmar | 1,136 | M7.7 |
| Ecuador | 1,130 | M7.8 |
| Canada | 1,026 | M7.8 |
| Iceland | 982 | M6.3 |
| Bolivia | 832 | M6.8 |
| Wallis and Futuna | 807 | M6.7 |
| Costa Rica | 717 | M7.6 |
| Panama | 704 | M6.7 |
| Nepal (this page) | 694 | M7.8 |
| Micronesia | 672 | M6.6 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 625 | M6.7 |
| Italy | 609 | M6.6 |
| Ethiopia | 574 | M5.9 |
| Venezuela | 531 | M7.5 |
| Dominican Republic | 489 | M5.8 |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 434 | M6.8 |
| Portugal | 423 | M6.3 |
| Tanzania | 368 | M6.0 |
| Yemen | 338 | M6.6 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Nepal by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1916 1
1916: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1918 1
1918: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1936 1
1936: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1966
1966: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 1980 1
1980: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1988 1
1988: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1993 1
1993: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2004 1
2004: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2005 1
2005: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2008
2008: 2 major (M6+) events
2
- 2015
2015: 5 major (M6+) events
5
What this shows Nepal's most active year for major earthquakes was 2015 (5 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
8 of 694 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 17 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Nepal.
M7.0-7.9
1
5.9%
M6.0-6.9
16
94.1%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 17 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 18 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
17
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Nepal
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.8 | 67 km NNE of Bharatpur, Nepal | 8.2 km | Apr 25, 2015 |
| 7.0 | 21 km SE of Dārchulā, Nepal | 20.0 km | Aug 28, 1916 |
| 6.9 | 9 km WSW of Triyuga, Nepal | 57.4 km | Aug 20, 1988 |
| 6.9 | 28 km WNW of B?glung, Nepal | 15.0 km | May 27, 1936 |
| 6.7 | 21 km SSE of Kod?ri??, Nepal | 22.9 km | Apr 26, 2015 |
| 6.7 | 221 km NE of Jumla, Nepal | 12.0 km | Aug 25, 2008 |
| 6.6 | 37 km ESE of Dārchulā, Nepal | 26.5 km | Jun 27, 1966 |
| 6.6 | 71 km NNE of Bharatpur, Nepal | 10.0 km | Apr 25, 2015 |
| 6.5 | 40 km NNE of Dipayal, Nepal | 18.0 km | Jul 29, 1980 |
| 6.3 | 42 km SSE of Kod?ri??, Nepal | 15.0 km | May 12, 2015 |
Significant earthquake record (17 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Nepal since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.3 | 42 km SSE of Kod?ri??, Nepal | 15.0 km | May 12, 2015 |
| 6.7 | 21 km SSE of Kod?ri??, Nepal | 22.9 km | Apr 26, 2015 |
| 6.6 | 71 km NNE of Bharatpur, Nepal | 10.0 km | Apr 25, 2015 |
| 6.1 | 0 km NNW of Dhulikhel, Nepal | 10.0 km | Apr 25, 2015 |
| 7.8 | 67 km NNE of Bharatpur, Nepal | 8.2 km | Apr 25, 2015 |
| 6.0 | 213 km NE of Jumla, Nepal | 4.0 km | Sep 25, 2008 |
| 6.7 | 221 km NE of Jumla, Nepal | 12.0 km | Aug 25, 2008 |
| 6.3 | 196 km NE of Jumla, Nepal | 11.0 km | Apr 7, 2005 |
| 6.2 | 213 km NE of Jumla, Nepal | 13.0 km | Jul 11, 2004 |
| 6.2 | 135 km NNE of Lobujya, Nepal | 12.2 km | Mar 20, 1993 |
| 6.9 | 9 km WSW of Triyuga, Nepal | 57.4 km | Aug 20, 1988 |
| 6.5 | 40 km NNE of Dipayal, Nepal | 18.0 km | Jul 29, 1980 |
| 6.6 | 37 km ESE of Dārchulā, Nepal | 26.5 km | Jun 27, 1966 |
| 6.0 | 28 km NNW of Dipayal, Nepal | 29.1 km | Jun 27, 1966 |
| 6.9 | 28 km WNW of B?glung, Nepal | 15.0 km | May 27, 1936 |
| 6.2 | 26 km E of Birendranagar, Nepal | 15.0 km | Nov 29, 1918 |
| 7.0 | 21 km SE of Dārchulā, Nepal | 20.0 km | Aug 28, 1916 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Nepal-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Nepal-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Nepal? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Nepal? ▼
How seismically active is Nepal? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Nepal? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Nepal's figures
694 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M7.8 · average M4.5 · 17 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Mar 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 Nepal's numbers mean
Nepal ranks 39th of 187 countries tracked - a moderately seismically active country.
- About 33 M4+ earthquakes strike Nepal per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 2015 was the busiest year on record with 5 significant events. See the full country ranking
- 100% of Nepal'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 M7.8. 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.