Afghanistan vs Japan: Number of significant earthquakes

Afghanistan
4 events
in 2023
Japan
3 events
in 2024
Afghanistan rank
2nd
Japan rank
4th

Number of significant earthquakes over time

  • Afghanistan
  • Japan
024681012102615252024

How they compare

Afghanistan currently reports 4 events against 3 events in Japan, a difference of 1 events.

That makes Afghanistan's figure about 1.3 times Japan's.

The two have swapped places 8 times across 32 shared years of data; in 1896 it was Japan ahead.

Afghanistan ranks 2nd and Japan ranks 4th of 97 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 2 and Japan in 8.

Head to head by decade

Decade Afghanistan Japan Difference Ahead
1890s 1 events 3 events 2 events Japan
1900s 1 events 4 events 3 events Japan
1910s 2 events 1 events 1 events Afghanistan
1920s 1 events 1 events 0 events
1930s 1 events 2 events 1 events Japan
1950s 1 events 1.5 events 0.5 events Japan
1960s 1 events 1 events 0 events
1970s 1 events 2 events 1 events Japan
1980s 1 events 4.33 events 3.33 events Japan
1990s 1.75 events 1.75 events 0 events
2000s 1.71 events 3.86 events 2.14 events Japan
2010s 1.5 events 3.17 events 1.67 events Japan
2020s 3.5 events 2.5 events 1 events Afghanistan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of significant earthquakes, Afghanistan or Japan?
Afghanistan, at 4 events against 3 events in Japan as of 2023.
What is the difference in number of significant earthquakes between Afghanistan and Japan?
1 events, with Afghanistan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and Japan?
32 years are reported by both, from 1896 to 2023.
How do Afghanistan and Japan rank globally for number of significant earthquakes?
Afghanistan ranks 2nd and Japan 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.

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Afghanistan vs Japan: Number of significant earthquakes. Statizoid, drawing on National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/significant-earthquakes/afghanistan/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of significant earthquakes
Unit
events
Source
National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
97 places, 4,005 data points, 1000–2024
Last refreshed

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.