PlainQuake

Global ranking · USGS ComCat

Most Earthquake-Prone Countries

Countries ranked by total catalogued M4+ earthquakes (USGS ComCat, since 2005).

Indonesia
#1
37,900
M4+ events
50
ranked countries

The verdict

Indonesia leads with 37,900, ahead of Japan (27,989) and United States (17,353) across 50 ranked countries.

#2 Japan
27,989
#3 United States
17,353
34%
share held by the top 3
#50 Somalia
333 (the list cutoff)

Counts reflect both real seismicity and monitoring density; read alongside population exposure for risk.

The bar to make this top-50 list

Where the #50 cutoff sits among every tracked country

333 Top 27% higher than 73% of 187 countries

0–500: 143 countries (76%). This entry sits in this band. 500–1,000: 11 countries (6%). Above this entry. 1,000–1,500: 5 countries (3%). Above this entry. 1,500–2,000: 5 countries (3%). Above this entry. 2,000–2,500: 1 countries (1%). Above this entry. 2,500–3,000: 1 countries (1%). Above this entry. 3,000–3,500: 2 countries (1%). Above this entry. 3,500–4,000: 1 countries (1%). Above this entry. 4,000–4,500: 2 countries (1%). Above this entry. 4,500–5,000: 4 countries (2%). Above this entry. 5,000–5,500: 12 countries (6%). Above this entry. #50 cutoff 0 5,000+ every tracked country, bucketed by value

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

Top 12 countries by m4+ events

Countries ranked by total catalogued M4+ earthquakes (USGS ComCat, since 2005).

Value

What this shows Countries along tectonic plate boundaries, the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Alpide Belt, and mid-ocean ridges, record the most seismic activity. Indonesia, Japan, and the western Pacific consistently top the table. Counts partly reflect monitoring density: well-instrumented regions detect more small events than remote areas, so a high count signals both real seismicity and good coverage.

Source USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat) As of 2005–present

Full ranking

M4+ events for all 50 ranked countries. Select any entry for its full seismic profile.

Bar length shows each row's value as a share of the #1 entry; hover or tap a bar for its exact share and rank.

#CountryM4+ events
1Indonesia37,900
2Japan27,989
3United States17,353
4Papua New Guinea15,713
5Philippines14,415
6Chile13,886
7Russia12,603
8Tonga10,882
9Mexico8,518
10Vanuatu7,619
11New Zealand7,546
12Solomon Islands6,146
13China4,993
14Peru4,621
15Greece4,616
16Fiji4,529
17Argentina4,405
18India4,098
19Iran3,577
20Afghanistan3,496
21Timor Leste3,427
22Taiwan2,540
23Turkey2,251
24Guatemala1,968
25New Caledonia1,920
26Colombia1,737
27Tajikistan1,594
28El Salvador1,509
29Nicaragua1,423
30Pakistan1,269
31Myanmar1,146
32Ecuador1,135
33Canada1,033
34Iceland985
35Bolivia835
36Wallis and Futuna808
37Costa Rica720
38Panama708
39Nepal696
40Micronesia678
41Kyrgyzstan628
42Italy613
43Ethiopia576
44Venezuela538
45Dominican Republic491
46Svalbard and Jan Mayen435
47Portugal434
48Tanzania368
49Yemen339
50Somalia333

Source: USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat).

What this country ranking means

Indonesia's count is 114x higher than #50-ranked Somalia (333).

Figures reflect the USGS ComCat catalog (M4+ since 2005, M6+ significant events since 1900) and depend partly on regional monitoring density - not a real-time hazard assessment.

How to read this ranking

A high count on this leaderboard reflects two things at once: real tectonic activity AND how well that country is monitored. Densely instrumented regions detect far more small earthquakes than remote or sparsely monitored ones of similar underlying seismicity, so raw rank is a starting point for research, not a finished risk assessment.

Total event count also says nothing about population exposure. A country with a huge count but a small, dispersed population can carry less real-world risk than one lower on this list with dense cities sitting directly on an active fault. Cross-check any entry that matters to you against its own seismic profile page, which breaks down magnitude distribution, depth, and the strongest events on record.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Indonesia have so many earthquakes? ▼

Indonesia sits on the convergence of four major tectonic plates, the Eurasian, Australian, Pacific, and Philippine Sea plates. This complex boundary produces intense seismic activity, including the M9.1 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

Are earthquake counts comparable between countries? ▼

Not perfectly. Monitoring density varies; better-instrumented countries detect smaller events. Counts are most comparable for moderate-to-large (M4.5+) earthquakes that the global network detects everywhere.

What magnitude earthquakes are counted? ▼

The worldwide catalog on PlainQuake covers magnitude 4.0 and above, the threshold at which events are reliably detected and located globally. Most catalogued events are M4–5, strong enough to feel but rarely damaging.

Other rankings

Most quakes, U.S. statesStrongest, countriesStrongest, U.S. statesMost significant (M6+)Highest avg magnitude
All countries
Earthquake data by country
All U.S. states
Earthquake data by state
Significant events
Major M6+ earthquakes worldwide

About this data

These rankings are computed directly from the USGS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), the public-domain record maintained by the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. Count-based leaderboards use the worldwide catalog of magnitude-4.0-and-above events from 2005 onward, the period over which the global seismograph network reliably detects and locates earthquakes everywhere, while magnitude leaderboards use the significant-event series of magnitude-6.0-and-above earthquakes stretching back to 1900. Magnitudes use the moment-magnitude scale (Mw), the modern standard that supersedes the older Richter scale; because the scale is logarithmic, each whole step up represents roughly thirty-two times more energy released. Remember that raw counts partly measure monitoring density, not only underlying seismicity, and that one historic outlier can anchor a high maximum magnitude, read each leaderboard alongside population exposure and building stock before drawing conclusions about real-world risk.

Source: USGS ComCat, verify with USGS → · See our methodology for the full pipeline.

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.