United States vs USSR: Global number of reported disasters by size per decade
United States
20 events
in 2020
USSR
4 events
in 1990
United States rank
1st
USSR rank
1st
Global number of reported disasters by size per decade over time
- United States
- USSR
How they compare
United States currently reports 20 events against 4 events in USSR, a difference of 16 events.
That makes United States's figure about 5.0 times USSR's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 10 shared years of data; in 1900 it was USSR ahead.
United States ranks 1st and USSR ranks 1st of 156 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 10 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United States | USSR | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 events | 0 events | 0 events | — |
| 1910s | 0 events | 0 events | 0 events | — |
| 1920s | 0 events | 0 events | 0 events | — |
| 1930s | 0 events | 0 events | 0 events | — |
| 1940s | 0 events | 0 events | 0 events | — |
| 1950s | 1 events | 0 events | 1 events | United States |
| 1960s | 0 events | 0 events | 0 events | — |
| 1970s | 2 events | 0 events | 2 events | United States |
| 1980s | 11 events | 2 events | 9 events | United States |
| 1990s | 37 events | 4 events | 33 events | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher global number of reported disasters by size per decade, United States or USSR?
- United States, at 20 events against 4 events in USSR as of 2020.
- What is the difference in global number of reported disasters by size per decade between United States and USSR?
- 16 events, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United States and USSR?
- 10 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 1990.
- How do United States and USSR rank globally for global number of reported disasters by size per decade?
- United States ranks 1st and USSR ranks 1st of 156 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Global number of reported disasters by size per decade. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Reported disasters that result in no more than 5 deaths, affect no more than 1,500 people, and cause economic damages not exceeding 13 million current US dollars. The economic threshold for previous years is adjusted for inflation accordingly.