Earthquake Statistics

Global seismic activity data and trends.

Earthquakes Per Year

~500,000

Detected by seismographs

Felt by People

~100,000

Per year worldwide

Cause Damage

~100

Per year (M5.0+)

Major (M7.0+)

~18

Per year

Earthquakes by Magnitude (Annual Average)

M2-3

49000

M3-4

12000

M4-5

6200

M5-6

800

M6-7

120

M7-8

M8+

Range	Class	Effects	Frequency
M0-1.9	Micro	Not felt. Recorded by seismographs.	~8,000/day
M2.0-3.9	Minor	Often felt, rarely causes damage.	~49,000/year
M4.0-4.9	Light	Noticeable shaking, minor damage possible.	~6,200/year
M5.0-5.9	Moderate	Can cause damage to poorly built structures.	~800/year
M6.0-6.9	Strong	Can cause serious damage in populated areas.	~120/year
M7.0-7.9	Major	Can cause widespread heavy damage.	~18/year
M8.0-8.9	Great	Can destroy communities near epicenter.	~1/year
M9.0+	Epic	Devastating. Near-total destruction near epicenter.	~1/20 years

#	Country	Avg/Year	Risk
1	Japan	200	very high
2	Philippines	200	very high
3	Indonesia	200	very high
4	Chile	200	very high
5	Peru	200	very high
6	Mexico	200	very high
7	United States	200	high
8	Canada	200	moderate
9	Russia	200	high
10	Papua New Guinea	200	very high

Data: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program