Chile vs United States: Number of significant earthquakes

Chile
1 events
in 2024
United States
1 events
in 2024
Chile rank
21st
United States rank
21st

Number of significant earthquakes over time

  • Chile
  • United States
02468150017622024

How they compare

Chile currently reports 1 events against 1 events in United States, a difference of 0 events.

The two have swapped places 22 times across 67 shared years of data; in 1811 it was United States ahead.

Chile ranks 21st and United States ranks 21st of 97 countries.

Across the 20 decades both report, Chile averaged higher in 3 and United States in 14.

Head to head by decade

Decade Chile United States Difference Ahead
1810s 1 events 2 events 1 events United States
1830s 1 events 1 events 0 events
1850s 1.25 events 1.75 events 0.5 events United States
1860s 5 events 2.5 events 2.5 events Chile
1870s 4 events 1.75 events 2.25 events Chile
1880s 1 events 2 events 1 events United States
1890s 1 events 2.33 events 1.33 events United States
1900s 1.67 events 2 events 0.3333 events United States
1910s 1.5 events 1 events 0.5 events Chile
1920s 1.33 events 2 events 0.6667 events United States
1930s 1.33 events 1.33 events 0 events
1940s 1.75 events 2 events 0.25 events United States
1950s 1 events 1.67 events 0.6667 events United States
1960s 2 events 2.33 events 0.3333 events United States
1970s 1.83 events 2 events 0.1667 events United States
1980s 1.2 events 3.2 events 2 events United States
1990s 1.5 events 1.5 events 0 events
2000s 2.2 events 3.4 events 1.2 events United States
2010s 2.33 events 3.5 events 1.17 events United States
2020s 1 events 2.5 events 1.5 events United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of significant earthquakes, Chile or United States?
Chile, at 1 events against 1 events in United States as of 2024.
What is the difference in number of significant earthquakes between Chile and United States?
0 events, with Chile ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Chile and United States?
67 years are reported by both, from 1811 to 2024.
How do Chile and United States rank globally for number of significant earthquakes?
Chile ranks 21st and United States ranks 21st 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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Chile vs United States: Number of significant earthquakes. Statizoid, drawing on National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/significant-earthquakes/chile/united-states/

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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.