Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Nepal
Nepal has catalogued 696 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.
- 696
- 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 696 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 708 events and Micronesia sits immediately below at 678.
USGS event tape strip
Event tape NEPAL · Nepal M4+ · 39th/187
Nepal · 696 M4+ · max M7.8 · 17 M6+
- MAX 696
- M6 39th/187
- DEPTH M7.8
- PHOTO 17
- BUSY near Panama
- SHAL 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 Nepal
USGS recorded Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) for 16 events in this catalogued record; their average observed intensity was MMI 7.0. These are only events with an observation, not an estimate of future shaking or a safety rating.
- MMI observations
- 16
- Average observed MMI
- 7.0
- PAGER alerts / tsunami flags
- 5 / 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 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 708 events and Micronesia sits immediately below at 678.
- Panama - next more active (708 M4+)
- Micronesia - next less active (678 M4+)
Nepal's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
696 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
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 696 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.
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.