Country profile · USGS ComCat
Earthquakes in Yemen
Yemen has catalogued 338 M4+ earthquakes since 2005 (ranked 49th of 187 countries), with the strongest reaching magnitude M6.7.
Yemen ranks 49th of 187 countries by catalogued seismic activity - a moderately seismically active country, averaging about 16 M4+ events a year alongside 14 significant M6+ earthquakes since 1900. Its M6+ record runs from 1908 to 2018, peaking in 2018.
- 338
- M4+ events (since 2005)
- 14
- Major M6+ (since 1900)
- M6.7
- Strongest
- ~16
- M4+ per year
The verdict
Yemen is moderately seismically active, above the global median, with 338 M4+ earthquakes logged since 2005 and 14 major M6+ events since 1900, the strongest reaching magnitude 6.7.
- 2018
- busiest year (2 major events)
- 13 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 Tanzania sits immediately above at 368 events and Somalia sits immediately below at 332.
Where Yemen sits in the catalog
Rank 49th of 187 tracked countries (74th percentile by M4+ count since 2005). On the M4+ activity ladder Tanzania sits immediately above at 368 events and Somalia sits immediately below at 332.
Yemen's M4+ count vs. every tracked country
Total catalogued M4+ events since 2005, USGS ComCat
338 Top 26% higher than 74% 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 Yemen compares to its nearest peers
Yemen ranks in the 74th 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Nepal | 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 (this page) | 338 | M6.6 |
| Somalia | 332 | M5.8 |
| Australia | 285 | M6.6 |
| Albania | 273 | M6.4 |
| Honduras | 269 | M7.5 |
| Djibouti | 260 | M5.5 |
| Algeria | 245 | M6.0 |
| Mayotte | 232 | M5.9 |
| Haiti | 217 | M7.2 |
| MX | 202 | M5.8 |
| Mongolia | 196 | M6.7 |
Major (M6+) earthquakes in Yemen by year
Count of significant (magnitude 6.0+) events catalogued each year
- 1924
1924: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1928
1928: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1949
1949: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1959
1959: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1967
1967: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1970
1970: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 1982
1982: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2001
2001: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2002
2002: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2005
2005: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2006
2006: 1 major (M6+) events
1
- 2018
2018: 2 major (M6+) events
2
What this shows Yemen's most active year for major earthquakes was 2018 (2 M6+ events). Major-quake counts are irregular, they track the episodic release of tectonic stress, not a smooth trend.
4 of 338 catalogued M4+ events since 2005 reached M6.0 or higher.
Magnitude distribution of major events
Breakdown of the 14 significant (M6+) earthquakes on record for Yemen.
M6.0-6.9
14
100.0%
Depth of major earthquakes
Hypocentral depth of the 14 M6+ events, shallow quakes shake the surface hardest. Average depth: 13 km.
Shallow (<70 km)
14
100.0% of events
Intermediate (70–300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Deep (>300 km)
0
0.0% of events
Strongest earthquakes in Yemen
The 10 most powerful events on record (USGS, since 1900).
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.7 | 170 km E of Hadibu, Yemen | 10.0 km | Dec 18, 1908 |
| 6.6 | 156 km NW of Kilmia, Yemen | 15.0 km | Dec 30, 2006 |
| 6.6 | 186 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen | 15.0 km | Dec 21, 1959 |
| 6.5 | 223 km N of Kilmia, Yemen | 28.8 km | Jul 30, 1970 |
| 6.5 | 193 km S of Al Ghayz̧ah, Yemen | 12.2 km | Nov 23, 1967 |
| 6.3 | 17 km N of Dham?r, Yemen | 5.0 km | Dec 13, 1982 |
| 6.2 | 200 km N of Qalans?yah, Yemen | 15.0 km | Dec 20, 1949 |
| 6.2 | 199 km S of Al Ghayz?ah, Yemen | 10.0 km | Aug 26, 2005 |
| 6.1 | 185 km S of Al Ghayz?ah, Yemen | 15.0 km | Apr 20, 1924 |
| 6.1 | 157 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen | 15.0 km | Sep 18, 1928 |
Significant earthquake record (14 events)
Every catalogued magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquake in Yemen since 1900, most recent first.
| Mag | Location | Depth | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.0 | 192 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen | 10.0 km | Jul 15, 2018 |
| 6.0 | 214 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen | 10.0 km | Jul 15, 2018 |
| 6.6 | 156 km NW of Kilmia, Yemen | 15.0 km | Dec 30, 2006 |
| 6.2 | 199 km S of Al Ghayz?ah, Yemen | 10.0 km | Aug 26, 2005 |
| 6.0 | 214 km S of Al Ghayz?ah, Yemen | 10.0 km | Sep 1, 2002 |
| 6.0 | 199 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen | 10.0 km | Jun 15, 2001 |
| 6.3 | 17 km N of Dham?r, Yemen | 5.0 km | Dec 13, 1982 |
| 6.5 | 223 km N of Kilmia, Yemen | 28.8 km | Jul 30, 1970 |
| 6.5 | 193 km S of Al Ghayz̧ah, Yemen | 12.2 km | Nov 23, 1967 |
| 6.6 | 186 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen | 15.0 km | Dec 21, 1959 |
| 6.2 | 200 km N of Qalans?yah, Yemen | 15.0 km | Dec 20, 1949 |
| 6.1 | 157 km NNW of Kilmia, Yemen | 15.0 km | Sep 18, 1928 |
| 6.1 | 185 km S of Al Ghayz?ah, Yemen | 15.0 km | Apr 20, 1924 |
| 6.7 | 170 km E of Hadibu, Yemen | 10.0 km | Dec 18, 1908 |
Other countries in this catalog sample
A Yemen-keyed shuffle of the full 186-country roster, not the six nearest by count.
Peak-magnitude sample from the same roster
A second Yemen-keyed shuffle of countries with a recorded max magnitude.
Understand the data
Frequently asked questions
How many earthquakes have occurred in Yemen? ▼
What was the strongest earthquake in Yemen? ▼
How seismically active is Yemen? ▼
How deep are earthquakes in Yemen? ▼
Where does this data come from? ▼
About Yemen's figures
338 M4+ events since 2005 · strongest M6.7 · average M4.5 · 14 M6+ significant events since 1900 · latest M4+ catalog stamp Jul 17, 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 Yemen's numbers mean
Yemen ranks 49th of 187 countries tracked - a moderately seismically active country.
- About 16 M4+ earthquakes strike Yemen per year on average, though major (M6+) activity is episodic - 2018 was the busiest year on record with 2 significant events. See the full country ranking
- 100% of Yemen'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 M6.7. 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.