Afghanistan vs Iran: Number of significant earthquakes
Afghanistan
4 events
in 2023
Iran
3 events
in 2024
Afghanistan rank
2nd
Iran rank
4th
Number of significant earthquakes over time
- Afghanistan
- Iran
How they compare
Afghanistan currently reports 4 events against 3 events in Iran, a difference of 1 events.
That makes Afghanistan's figure about 1.3 times Iran's.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 30 shared years of data; in 1896 it was Iran ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 2nd and Iran ranks 4th of 97 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 2 and Iran in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | Iran | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 1 events | 3 events | 2 events | Iran |
| 1900s | 1 events | 1 events | 0 events | — |
| 1910s | 2 events | 1 events | 1 events | Afghanistan |
| 1920s | 1 events | 3 events | 2 events | Iran |
| 1940s | 1 events | 1 events | 0 events | — |
| 1950s | 1 events | 1 events | 0 events | — |
| 1960s | 1 events | 2 events | 1 events | Iran |
| 1970s | 1.5 events | 2 events | 0.5 events | Iran |
| 1980s | 1 events | 1.5 events | 0.5 events | Iran |
| 1990s | 1.83 events | 3.33 events | 1.5 events | Iran |
| 2000s | 1.83 events | 4 events | 2.17 events | Iran |
| 2010s | 1.5 events | 6 events | 4.5 events | Iran |
| 2020s | 3.5 events | 2 events | 1.5 events | Afghanistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of significant earthquakes, Afghanistan or Iran?
- Afghanistan, at 4 events against 3 events in Iran as of 2023.
- What is the difference in number of significant earthquakes between Afghanistan and Iran?
- 1 events, with Afghanistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and Iran?
- 30 years are reported by both, from 1896 to 2023.
- How do Afghanistan and Iran rank globally for number of significant earthquakes?
- Afghanistan ranks 2nd and Iran ranks 4th of 97 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of significant earthquakes. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
A significant earthquake meets at least one of the following: caused deaths, moderate damage ($1 million or more), a magnitude 7.5 or greater, Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) X or greater, or generated a tsunami. Due to data availability, recent data will be more complete than older historical estimates.