# List of natural disasters by death toll

A natural disaster is a sudden event that causes offspring to kill destruction, major collateral damage, or loss of life, brought about by forces other than the acts of human beings. A natural disaster might be caused by earthquakes, flooding, volcanic eruption, landslide, hurricanes, etc. To be classified as a disaster, it must have profound environmental effects and/or loss of life and frequently causes financial loss.

## Ten deadliest natural disasters by highest estimated death toll excluding epidemics and famines

This list takes into account only the highest estimated death toll for each disaster and lists them accordingly. It does not include epidemics and famines. The list also does not include the 1938 Yellow River flood, which was caused by the deliberate destruction of dikes.
| Death toll (Highest estimate) | Event | Location | Date |
| 4,000,000 | 1931 China floods | China | July 1931 |
| 2,000,000 | 1887 Yellow River flood | China | September 1887 |
| 655,237 | 1976 Tangshan earthquake | China | July 28, 1976 |
| 500,000 | 1970 Bhola cyclone | East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) | November 13, 1970 |
| 316,000 | 2010 Haiti earthquake | Haiti | January 12, 2010 |
| 300,000 | 526 Antioch earthquake | Byzantine Empire (now Hatay/Turkey) | May 526 |
| ≈300,000 | 1839 Coringa cyclone | Andhra Pradesh, India | November 25, 1839 |
| ≈300,000 | 1737 Calcutta cyclone | West Bengal and Bangladesh | October 1737 |
| 273,407 | 1920 Haiyuan earthquake | China | December 16, 1920 |
| 230,000 | 1139 Ganja earthquake | Seljuk Empire (present-day Azerbaijan) | September 30, 1139 |

## Deadliest natural disasters by year excluding epidemics and famines
### 20th century

| Year | Death tolls | Event | Countries affected | Type | Date |
| 1900 | 6,000–12,000 | 1900 Galveston hurricane | United States | Tropical cyclone | September 9 |
| 1901 | 9,500 | 1901 eastern United States heat wave | United States | Heat wave | June–July |
| 1902 | 29,000 | 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée | Martinique | Volcanic eruption | April–August |
| 1903 | 3,500 | 1903 Manzikert earthquake | Turkey | Earthquake | April 29 |
| 1904 | 400 | 1904 Sichuan earthquake | China | Earthquake | August 30 |
| 1905 | 20,000+ | 1905 Kangra earthquake | India | Earthquake | April 4 |
| 1906 | 15,000 | 1906 Hong Kong typhoon | Hong Kong | Tropical cyclone | September 18 |
| 1907 | 12,000–15,000 | 1907 Qaratog earthquake | Uzbekistan | Earthquake | October 21 |
| 1908 | 75,000–82,000 | 1908 Messina earthquake | Italy | Earthquake | December 28 |
| 1909 | 6,000–8,000 | 1909 Borujerd earthquake | Iran | Earthquake | January 23 |
| 1910 | 2,450 | 1910 Costa Rica earthquakes | Costa Rica | Earthquake | May 4 |
| 1911 | 41,072 | 1911 France heat wave | France | Heat wave | June–August |
| 1912 | 50,000–220,000 | 1912 China typhoon | China | Tropical cyclone | August 29 |
| 1913 | 942–1,900 | 1913 Eshan earthquake | China | Earthquake | December 21 |
| 1914 | 2,344 | 1914 Burdur earthquake | Turkey | Earthquake | October 4 |
| 1915 | 29,978-32,610 | 1915 Avezzano earthquake | Italy | Earthquake | January 13 |
| 1916 | 2,000–10,000 | White Friday avalanches | Italy | Avalanche | December 13 |
| 1917 | 1,500 | 1917 Bali earthquake | Indonesia | Earthquake | January 21 |
| 1918 | 1,000 | 1918 Shantou earthquake | China | Earthquake | February 13 |
| 1919 | 5,000 | 1919 Kelud mudflow | Indonesia | Volcanic eruption | May 19 |
| 1920 | 258,707–273,407 | 1920 Haiyuan earthquake | China, Mongolia | Earthquake | December 16 |
| 1921 | 215 | September 1921 San Antonio floods | United States | Flood | September 7 –11 |
| 1922 | 50,000–100,000+ | 1922 Shantou typhoon | Philippines, China | Tropical cyclone | July 27 –August 3 |
| 1923 | 105,385-142,800 | 1923 Great Kantō earthquake | Japan | Earthquake | September 1 |
| 1924 | 1,000 | Great flood of 99 | India | Flood | July |
| 1925 | 5,000 | 1925 Dali earthquake | China | Earthquake | March 16 |
| 1926 | 709 | 1926 Havana–Bermuda hurricane | Cuba, United States, Bahamas, Bermuda | Tropical cyclone | October 14 –28 |
| 1927 | 40,912 | 1927 Gulang earthquake | China, Tibet | Earthquake | May 22 |
| 1928 | 4,112+ | 1928 Okeechobee hurricane | United States, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Bahamas, Dominica, | Tropical cyclone | September 12 –21 |
| 1929 | 3,257–3,800 | 1929 Kopet Dag earthquake | Iran, Turkmenistan | Earthquake | May 1 |
| 1930 | 2,000–8,000 | 1930 San Zenón hurricane | Dominican Republic | Tropical cyclone | September 3 |
| 1931 | 422,499–4,000,000 | 1931 China floods | China | Flood | July – November |
| 1932 | 3,103+ | 1932 Cuba hurricane | Cayman Islands, Cuba | Tropical cyclone | November 9 |
| 1933 | 6,865–9,300 | 1933 Diexi earthquake | China | Earthquake | August 25 |
| 1934 | 10,700–12,000 | 1934 Nepal–India earthquake | Nepal, India | Earthquake | January 15 |
| 1935 | 145,000 | 1935 Yangtze flood | China | Flood | July 6 |
| 1936 | 5,000+ | 1936 North American heat wave | United States, Canada | Heat wave | June – September |
| 1937 | 11,021 | 1937 Great Hong Kong typhoon | China | Tropical cyclone | September 2 |
| 1938 | 715+ | 1938 Hanshin flood | Japan | Flood | July |
| 1939 | 32,700–32,968 | 1939 Erzincan earthquake | Turkey | Earthquake | December 27 |
| 1940 | 1,000 | 1940 Vrancea earthquake | Romania | Earthquake | November 10 |
| 1941 | 1,200 | 1941 Jabal Razih earthquake | Yemen | Earthquake | January 11 |
| 1942 | 61,000 | 1942 West Bengal cyclone | India | Tropical cyclone | October 14 – 18 |
| 1943 | 2,824-5,000 | 1943 Tosya–Ladik earthquake | Turkey | Earthquake | November 27 |
| 1944 | 10,000 | 1944 San Juan earthquake | Argentina | Earthquake | January 15 |
| 1945 | 4,000 | 1945 Balochistan earthquake | Pakistan | Earthquake | November 28 |
| 1946 | 2,550 | 1946 Dominican Republic earthquake | Dominican Republic | Earthquake | August 4 |
| 1947 | 1,077 | Typhoon Kathleen | Japan | Tropical cyclone | September 15 |
| 1948 | 10,000–110,000 | 1948 Ashgabat earthquake | Soviet Union, Iran | Earthquake | October 6 |
| 1949 | 7,200 | 1949 Khait earthquake | Tajikistan | Earthquake | July 10 |
| 1950 | 4,800 | 1950 Assam-Tibet earthquake | India, China | Earthquake | August 15 |
| 1951 | 4,800 | 1951 Manchuria flood | China | Flood | September 18 |
| 1952 | 2,336 | 1952 Severo-Kurilsk earthquake | Russia | Earthquake | November 4 |
| 1953 | 2,551 | North Sea flood of 1953 | Netherlands, Belgium, England, Scotland | Flood | January 31–February 1 |
| 1954 | 33,000 | 1954 Yangtze floods | China | Flood | June – September |
| 1955 | 1,023+ | Hurricane Janet | Lesser Antilles, Mexico | Tropical cyclone | September 22 – 30 |
| 1956 | 4,935 | Typhoon Wanda | China | Tropical cyclone | August 1 |
| 1957 | 1,500 | 1957 Sangchal earthquake | Iran | Earthquake | July 2 |
| 1958 | 1,269 | Typhoon Ida | Japan | Tropical cyclone | September 26 |
| 1959 | 5,098 | Typhoon Vera | Japan | Tropical cyclone | September 26 |
| 1960 | 14,174 | Severe Cyclonic Storm Ten | East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) | Tropical cyclone | October 31 |
| 1961 | 11,468 | Cyclone Winnie | East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) | Tropical cyclone | May 6 – 9 |
| 1962 | 50,935 | Tropical Storm Harriet | Thailand, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) | Tropical cyclone | October 19 – 31 |
| 1963 | 22,000 | Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Two | East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) | Tropical cyclone | May 28 |
| 1964 | 7,000 | Tropical Storm Joan | Vietnam | Tropical cyclone | November 4 – 11 |
| 1965 | 47,000 | 1965 Bengal cyclones | East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) | Tropical cyclone | May 11 – 12 and June 1 – 2 |
| 1966 | 8,064 | 1966 Xingtai earthquakes | China | Earthquake | March 22 |
| 1967 | 10,000 | 1967 Paradip cyclone | India | Tropical cyclone | October 26 |
| 1968 | 15,000 | 1968 Dasht-e Bayaz and Ferdows earthquakes | Iran | Earthquake | August 31 |
| 1969 | 3,000 | 1969 Yangjiang earthquake | China | Earthquake | July 26 |
| 1970 | 300,000-500,000 | 1970 Bhola cyclone | India, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) | Tropical cyclone | November 13 |
| 1971 | 100,000 | Hanoi and Red River Delta flood | North Vietnam | Flood | August 1 |
| 1972 | 5,374 | 1972 Qir earthquake | Iran | Earthquake | April 10 |
| 1972 | 4,000-11,000 | 1972 Managua earthquake | Nicaragua | Earthquake | December 23 |
| 1973 | 2,175–2,204 | 1973 Luhuo earthquake | China | Earthquake | February 6 |
| 1974 | 8,210+ | Hurricane Fifi–Orlene | Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico | Tropical cyclone | September 18 – 20 |
| 1975 | 26,000-240,000 | 1975 Banqiao Dam Failure disaster triggered by Typhoon Nina | China | Tropical cyclone | August 7 |
| 1976 | 242,419–655,000 | 1976 Tangshan earthquake | China | Earthquake | July 28 |
| 1977 | 10,000–50,000 | 1977 Andhra Pradesh cyclone | India | Tropical cyclone | November 19 |
| 1978 | 15,000–25,000 | 1978 Tabas earthquake | Iran | Earthquake | September 16 |
| 1979 | 2,078 | Hurricane David | Dominican Republic, Dominica | Tropical cyclone | August 15 – September 8 |
| 1980 | 2,633-5,000 | 1980 El Asnam earthquake | Algeria | Earthquake | October 10 |
| 1981 | 3,000 | 1981 Golbaf earthquake | Iran | Earthquake | June 11 |
| 1982 | 2,800 | 1982 North Yemen earthquake | Yemen | Earthquake | December 13 |
| 1983 | 1,342 | 1983 Erzurum earthquake | Turkey | Earthquake | October 30 |
| 1984 | 1,474 | Typhoon Ike | Philippines | Tropical cyclone | August 26 – September 6 |
| 1985 | 23,000 | Armero tragedy | Colombia | Volcanic eruption | November 13 |
| 1986 | 1,746 | Lake Nyos disaster | Cameroon | Limnic eruption | August 21 |
| 1987 | 1,000 | 1987 Ecuador earthquakes | Ecuador | Earthquake | March 6 |
| 1988 | 25,000-50,000 | 1988 Armenian earthquake | Armenia | Earthquake | December 7 |
| 1989 | 3,814 | 1989 Sichuan flood | China | Flood | July 27 |
| 1990 | 35,000-45,000 | 1990 Manjil–Rudbar earthquake | Iran | Earthquake | June 21 |
| 1991 | 138,866 | 1991 Bangladesh cyclone | Bangladesh | Tropical cyclone | April 24 – 30 |
| 1992 | 2,500 | 1992 Flores earthquake and tsunami | Indonesia | Earthquake, Tsunami | December 12 |
| 1993 | 9,748 | 1993 Latur earthquake | India | Earthquake | September 30 |
| 1994 | 3,063 | Typhoon Fred | China, Taiwan | Tropical cyclone | August 21 |
| 1995 | 6,434 | Great Hanshin earthquake | Japan | Earthquake | January 17 |
| 1996 | 1,077 | 1996 Andhra Pradesh cyclone | India | Tropical cyclone | November 4 – 7 |
| 1997 | 3,123 | Tropical Storm Linda | Vietnam, Thailand | Tropical cyclone, Flood | November 1 – 9 |
| 1998 | 11,374 | Hurricane Mitch | Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico | Tropical cyclone | October 22 – November 9 |
| 1999 | 10,000-30,000 | Vargas tragedy | Venezuela | Mudslide, Flood | December 14 – 16 |
| 2000 | 700–800 | 2000 Mozambique flood | Mozambique | Flood | February – March |

### 21st century

| Year | Death toll | Event | Countries affected | Type | Date |
| 2001 | 13,805–20,023 | 2001 Gujarat earthquake | India | Earthquake | January 26 |
| 2002 | 1,200 | 2002 Hindu Kush earthquakes | Afghanistan | Earthquake | March 25 |
| 2003 | 72,000 | 2003 European heat wave | Europe | Heat wave | July – August |
| 2004 | 227,898 | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami | Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Maldives, Somalia | Earthquake, Tsunami | December 26 |
| 2005 | 86,000–87,351 | 2005 Kashmir earthquake | India, Pakistan | Earthquake | October 8 |
| 2006 | 5,749–5,778 | 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake | Indonesia | Earthquake | May 26 |
| 2007 | 15,000 | Cyclone Sidr | Bangladesh, India | Tropical cyclone | November 11 – 16 |
| 2008 | 138,373 | Cyclone Nargis | Myanmar | Tropical cyclone | April 27 – May 3 |
| 2009 | 1,115 | 2009 Sumatra earthquakes | Indonesia | Earthquake | September 30 |
| 2010 | 100,000–316,000 | 2010 Haiti earthquake | Haiti | Earthquake | January 12 |
| 2011 | 19,749 | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Japan | Earthquake, Tsunami | March 11 |
| 2012 | 1,901 | Typhoon Bopha | Philippines | Tropical cyclone | December 4 – 5 |
| 2013 | 6,340 | Typhoon Haiyan | Philippines, Vietnam, China | Tropical cyclone | November 8 – 10 |
| 2014 | 2,700 | 2014 Badakhshan mudslides | Afghanistan | Landslide | May 2 |
| 2015 | 8,964 | April 2015 Nepal earthquake | Nepal, India | Earthquake | April 25 |
| 2016 | 1,111 | 2016 Indian heat wave | India | Heat wave | April – May |
| 2017 | 3,059 | Hurricane Maria | Puerto Rico, Dominica | Tropical cyclone | September 19 – 21 |
| 2018 | 4,340 | 2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami | Indonesia | Earthquake, Tsunami | September 28 |
| 2019 | 3,951+ | 2019 European heat waves | Europe | Heat wave | June – July |
| 2020 | 6,511 | 2020 South Asian floods | Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka | Floods | May – October |
| 2021 | 2,248 | 2021 Haiti earthquake | Haiti | Earthquake | August 14 |
| 2022 | 24,501 | 2022 European heatwaves | Europe | Heat wave | June 12 – September 12 |
| 2023 | 59,259–62,013 | 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes | Turkey, Syria | Earthquake | February 6 |
| 2024 | 1,878 | 2024 India floods | India | Floods | 26 May – 30 September |
| 2025 | 126 | 2025 Tibet earthquake | China | Earthquake | 7 January |

## Lists of deadliest natural disasters by cause
### Avalanche and landslides (landslips)

| Rank | Death toll (estimate) | Event | Location | Date |
| 1. | 100,000 | 1786 Dadu River landslide dam; triggered by the 1786 Kangding-Luding earthquake | China | 1786 |
| 1. | 100,000 | 1920 Haiyuan landslides; triggered by the 1920 Haiyuan earthquake | China | 1920 |
| 3. | 70,001+ | Landslides triggered by the 1718 Tongwei–Gansu earthquake. | China | 1718 |
| 4. | 22,000 | 1970 Huascarán avalanche; triggered by the 1970 Ancash earthquake | Peru | 1970 |
| 5. | 10,000–30,000 | Vargas tragedy | Venezuela | 1999 |
| 5. | 10,000 | White Friday avalanches | Italy | 1916 |
| 7. | 5,000–28,000 | Khait landslide | Tajikistan | 1949 |
| 8. | 4,000–6,000 | 1941 Huaraz avalanche | Peru | 1941 |
| 8. | 4,000 | 1962 Huascarán avalanche | Peru | 1962 |
| 10. | 3,466 | 1310 Western Hubei landslide | China | 1310 |

### Disease outbreaks

Death counts are historical totals unless indicated otherwise. Events in boldface are ongoing.
| Rank | Death toll (estimate) | Event | Location | Date | Pathogen − (disease caused) |
| 1. | 75–200 million | Black Death | Europe, Asia and North Africa | 1346–1353 | Yersinia pestis − (Plague) |
| 2. | 50 million+ (17–100 million) | Spanish flu | Worldwide | 1918–1920 | Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 − (Influenza/"the flu") |
| 3. | 43 million (as of 2024) | HIV/AIDS pandemic | Worldwide | 1981–present | Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) − (HIV/AIDS) |
| 4. | 30–50 million | Plague of Justinian | Europe and West Asia | 541–542 | Yersinia pestis − (Plague) |
| 5. | 7–29 million | COVID-19 pandemic | Worldwide | 2019–2023 | SARS-CoV-2 − (COVID-19) |
| 6. | 12–24 million (Indian Subcontinent and China) | Third plague pandemic | Worldwide | 1855–1960 | Yersinia pestis − (Bubonic plague) |
| 7. | 5–15 million | Cocoliztli Epidemic of 1545–1548 | Mexico | 1545–1548 | Uncertain. Likely Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica − (Enteric fever) or viral hemorrhagic fever but no consensus. |
| 8. | 5–10 million | Antonine Plague | Roman Empire | 165–180 (possibly up to 190) | Likely Variola − (Smallpox), possibly alongside Measles morbillivirus − (Measles) |
| 9. | 5–8 million | 1520 Mexico smallpox epidemic | Mexico | 1519–1520 | Variola virus − (Smallpox) |
| 10. | 2.5 million | 1918–1922 Russia typhus epidemic | Russia | 1918–1922 | Rickettsia prowazekii − (Epidemic typhus) |

### Earthquakes

| Rank | Death toll (estimate) | Event | Location | Date |
| 1. | 242,419–655,000 | 1976 Tangshan earthquake | China | July 28, 1976 |
| 2. | 110,000−316,000 | 2010 Haiti earthquake | Haiti | January 12, 2010 |
| 3. | 250,000–300,000 | 526 Antioch earthquake | Byzantine Empire (now Turkey) | May 526 |
| 4. | 273,407 | 1920 Haiyuan earthquake | Ningxia, Republic of China (now People's Republic of China) | December 16, 1920 |
| 5. | 270,000 | 1303 Hongdong earthquake | Mongol Empire (now China) | September 17, 1303 |
| 6. | 260,000 | 115 Antioch earthquake | Roman Empire (now Turkey) | December 13, 115 |
| 7. | 230,000 | 1138 Aleppo earthquake | Zengid dynasty (now Syria) | October 11, 1138 |
| 7. | 230,000 | 1139 Ganja earthquake | Seljuk Empire (now Azerbaijan) | 20 September 1139 |
| 9. | 227,898 | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake | Indonesia | December 26, 2004 |
| 10. | 200,000 | 856 Damghan earthquake | Abbasid Caliphate (now Iran) | December 22, 856 |

### Famines

Note: Some of these famines may have been caused or partially caused by humans.
| Rank | Death toll | Event | Location | Date |
| 1. | 11,000,000–40,000,000 | Great Chinese Famine | China | 1959–1961 |
| 2. | 25,000,000 | Chinese famine of 1906–1907 | Qing China | 1906–1907 |
| 3. | 9,000,000–13,000,000 | Northern Chinese Famine of 1876–1879 | Qing China | 1876–1879 |
| 4. | 11,000,000 | Chalisa famine | North India | 1783–1784 |
| 4. | 11,000,000 | Doji bara famine or Skull famine | India | 1789–1793 |
| 6. | 10,000,000 | Great Bengal famine of 1770, incl. Bihar & Orissa | British company India | 1769–1773 |
| 7. | 7,500,000 | Great European Famine | Europe | 1315–1317 |
| 8. | 7,400,000 | Deccan famine of 1630–1632 | Mughal Empire, now India | 1630–1632 |
| 9. | 5,000,000–8,000,000 | Soviet famine of 1930–1933 | Soviet Union | 1930–1933 |
| 10. | 5,500,000 | Indian Great Famine of 1876–1878 | British India | 1876–1878 |

### Floods

Note: Some of these floods and landslides may be partially caused by humans – for example, by failure of dams, levees, seawalls or retaining walls. This list does not include the man-made 1938 Yellow River flood caused entirely by a deliberate man-made act (an act of war, destroying dikes).
| Rank | Death toll | Event | Location | Date |
| 1. | 422,499–4,000,000 | 1931 China floods | China | 1931 |
| 2. | 930,000–2,000,000 | 1887 Yellow River (Huang He) flood | China | 1887 |
| 3. | 230,000 | 1975 Banqiao Dam failure | China | 1975 |
| 4. | 145,000 | 1935 Yangtze flood | China | 1935 |
| 5. | 100,000+ | St. Felix's flood, storm surge | Holy Roman Empire | 1530 |
| 7. | 100,000 | 1911 Yangtze River flood | China | 1911 |
| 8. | 100,000 | The flood of 1099 | Netherlands & England | 1099 |
| 9. | 50,000–80,000 | St. Lucia's flood, storm surge | Holy Roman Empire | 1287 |
| 10. | 60,000 | North Sea flood, storm surge | Holy Roman Empire | 1212 |

### Heat waves

Note: Measuring the number of deaths caused by a heat wave requires complicated statistical analysis, since heat waves tend to cause large numbers of deaths among people weakened by other conditions. As a result, the number of deaths is only known with any accuracy for heat waves in the modern era in countries with developed healthcare systems.
| Rank | Death toll | Event | Location | Date |
| 1. | 72,000 | 2003 European heatwave | Europe | 2003 |
| 2. | 56,000 | 2010 Russian heat wave | Russia | 2010 |
| 3. | 41,072 | 1911 France heat wave | France | 1911 |
| 4. | 24,501 | 2022 European heatwaves | Europe | 2022 |
| 5. | 9,500 | 1901 eastern United States heat wave | United States | 1901 |
| 6. | 5,000–10,000 | 1988–1990 North American drought | United States | 1988 |
| 7. | 3,951 | 2019 European heatwaves | Europe | 2019 |
| 8. | 3,418 | 2006 European heatwave | Europe | 2006 |
| 9. | 2,541 | 1998 Indian heat wave | India | 1998 |
| 10. | 2,500 | 2015 Indian heat wave | India | 2015 |

### Limnic eruptions

Note: Only 2 cases in recorded history.
| Rank | Death toll | Event | Location | Date |
| 1. | 1,744 | Lake Nyos disaster | Cameroon | August 21, 1986 |
| 2. | 37 | Lake Monoun disaster | Cameroon | August 15, 1984 |

### Tornadoes

| Rank | Death toll | Event | Location | Date |
| 1. | 1,300 | The Daulatpur–Saturia tornado | Manikganj, Bangladesh | 1989 |
| 2. | 751 | The 1925 Tri-State tornado | United States (Missouri–Illinois–Indiana) | 1925 |
| 3. | 681 | The 1973 Faridpur District tornado | Bangladesh | 1973 |
| 4. | 660 | 1969 East Pakistan tornado | East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) | 1969 |
| 5. | 600 | The Valletta, Malta tornado | Malta | 1551 or 1556 |
| 6. | 500 | The 1851 Sicily tornadoes | Sicily, Two Sicilies (now Italy) | 1851 |
| 6. | 500 | Narail-Magura tornado | Jessore, East Pakistan, Pakistan (now Bangladesh) | 1964 |
| 6. | 500 | Madaripur-Shibchar tornado | Bangladesh | 1977 |
| 9. | 400 | The 1984 Soviet Union tornado outbreak | Soviet Union (Volga Federal District, Central Federal District, and Northwestern Federal District in Russia) | 1984 |
| 10. | 317 | The Great Natchez Tornado | United States (Mississippi–Louisiana) | 1840 |

### Tropical cyclones

Note: Earlier versions of this list have included the so-called 'Bombay Cyclone of 1882' in tenth position, but this supposed event has been proven to be a hoax.
| Rank | Death toll | Event | Location | Date |
| 1. | 500,000+ | 1970 Bhola cyclone | East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) | November 13, 1970 |
| 2. | 300,000 | 1839 Coringa cyclone | British India (now India and Bangladesh) | November 25, 1839 |
| 3. | 300,000+ | 1737 Calcutta cyclone | British India (now India and Bangladesh) | October 11, 1737 |
| 4. | 229,000 | Super Typhoon Nina—contributed to Banqiao Dam failure | China | August 7, 1975 |
| 5. | 200,000 | Great Backerganj Cyclone of 1876 | British Raj (now Bangladesh) | October 31, 1876 |
| 6. | 138,866 | 1991 Bangladesh cyclone | Bangladesh | April 29, 1991 |
| 7. | 138,373 | Cyclone Nargis | Myanmar | May 2, 2008 |
| 8. | 100,000 | July 1780 typhoon | Philippines | 1780 |
| 9. | 60,000+ | 1864 Calcutta cyclone | India and Bangladesh | October 5, 1864 |
| 10. | 50,000-220,000 | 1912 China typhoon | China | August 29, 1912 |

### Tsunamis

Note: A possible tsunami in 1782 that caused about 40,000 deaths in the Taiwan Strait area may have been of "meteorological" origin (a cyclone).
| Rank | Death toll | Event | Location | Date |
| 1. | 227,898 | 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami | Indian Ocean | December 26, 2004 |
| 2. | ~80,000 | 1908 Messina earthquake | Italy | December 28, 1908 |
| 3. | 36,417 | 1883 eruption of Krakatoa | Indonesia | August 27, 1883 |
| 4. | 40,000–50,000 | 1755 Lisbon earthquake | Portugal | November 1, 1755 |
| 5. | 30,000–100,000 | Minoan eruption | Greece | 2nd Millennium BC |
| 6. | 31,000 | 1498 Meiō earthquake | Japan | September 20, 1498 |
| 7. | 30,000 | 1707 Hōei earthquake | Japan | October 28, 1707 |
| 8. | 27,122 | 1896 Sanriku earthquake | Japan | June 15, 1896 |
| 9. | 25,674 | 1868 Arica earthquake | Chile | August 13, 1868 |
| 10. | 5,700–50,000 | 365 Crete earthquake | Greece | July 21, 365 |

### Volcanic eruptions

| Rank | Death toll | Event | Location | Date |
| 1. | 71,000+ | 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora (see also Year Without a Summer) | Indonesia | April 10, 1815 |
| 2. | 36,000+ | 1883 eruption of Krakatoa | Indonesia | August 27, 1883 |
| 3. | 30,000 | 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée | Martinique | May 7, 1902 |
| 4. | 23,000 | Armero tragedy | Colombia | November 13, 1985 |
| 5. | 15,000 | 1792 Unzen earthquake and tsunami | Japan | May 21, 1792 |
| 6. | 13,000 | Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD | Italy | 79 |
| 7. | 10,000+ | 1586 Kelud eruption | Indonesia | 1586 |
| 8. | 6,000 | 1902 Santa Maria eruption | Guatemala | October 24, 1902 |
| 9. | 5,000 | 1919 Kelud mudflow | Indonesia | May 19, 1919 |
| 10. | 4,011 | 1822 Galunggung eruption | Indonesia | 1822 |

### Wildfires

| Rank | Death toll | Event | Location | Date |
| 1. | 1,200–2,500 | Peshtigo fire | Wisconsin, United States | October 8, 1871 |
| 2. | 1,000+ | Kursha-2 fire | Soviet Union | August 3, 1936 |
| 3. | 453 | Cloquet fire | Minnesota, United States | October 12, 1918 |
| 4. | 418–476 | Great Hinckley Fire | Minnesota, United States | September 1, 1894 |
| 5. | 282 | Thumb Fire | Michigan, United States | September 5, 1881 |
| 6. | 240 | 1997 Indonesian forest fires | Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia | September 1997 |
| 7. | 160–300 | 1825 Miramichi fire | Canada | October 7, 1825 |
| 8. | 223 | Matheson Fire | Ontario, Canada | July 29, 1916 |
| 9. | 211 | 1987 Black Dragon fire | China and Soviet Union | May 1, 1987 |
| 10. | 173 | Black Saturday bushfires | Australia | February 7, 2009 |

### Winter storms

| Rank | Death toll (estimate) | Event | Location | Date |
| 1. | 4,000 | 1972 Iran blizzard | Iran | 1972 |
| 2. | 3,000 | Carolean Death March | Norway | 1719 |
| 3. | 926 | 2008 Afghanistan blizzard | Afghanistan | 2008 |
| 4. | 400 | Great Blizzard of 1888 | United States | 1888 |
| 5. | 353 | Great Appalachian Storm of 1950 | United States | 1950 |
| 6. | 318 | 1993 Storm of the Century | United States | 1993 |
| 7. | 299–978 | 2021 North American winter storm | United States and Mexico | 2021 |
| 8. | 286 | December 1960 nor'easter | United States | 1960 |
| 9. | 250 | Great Lakes Storm of 1913 | United States and Canada (Great Lakes region) | 1913 |
| 10. | 235 | Schoolhouse Blizzard | United States | 1888 |