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.

# Country M4+ events
1 Indonesia 37,900
2 Japan 27,989
3 United States 17,353
4 Papua New Guinea 15,713
5 Philippines 14,415
6 Chile 13,886
7 Russia 12,603
8 Tonga 10,882
9 Mexico 8,518
10 Vanuatu 7,619
11 New Zealand 7,546
12 Solomon Islands 6,146
13 China 4,993
14 Peru 4,621
15 Greece 4,616
16 Fiji 4,529
17 Argentina 4,405
18 India 4,098
19 Iran 3,577
20 Afghanistan 3,496
21 Timor Leste 3,427
22 Taiwan 2,540
23 Turkey 2,251
24 Guatemala 1,968
25 New Caledonia 1,920
26 Colombia 1,737
27 Tajikistan 1,594
28 El Salvador 1,509
29 Nicaragua 1,423
30 Pakistan 1,269
31 Myanmar 1,146
32 Ecuador 1,135
33 Canada 1,033
34 Iceland 985
35 Bolivia 835
36 Wallis and Futuna 808
37 Costa Rica 720
38 Panama 708
39 Nepal 696
40 Micronesia 678
41 Kyrgyzstan 628
42 Italy 613
43 Ethiopia 576
44 Venezuela 538
45 Dominican Republic 491
46 Svalbard and Jan Mayen 435
47 Portugal 434
48 Tanzania 368
49 Yemen 339
50 Somalia 333

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.