Costa Rica vs United States: Number of significant earthquakes
Costa Rica
1 events
in 2017
United States
1 events
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
21st
United States rank
21st
Number of significant earthquakes over time
- Costa Rica
- United States
How they compare
Costa Rica currently reports 1 events against 1 events in United States, a difference of 0 events.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1854 it was United States ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 21st and United States ranks 21st of 97 countries.
Across the 10 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 2 and United States in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 2 events | 3 events | 1 events | United States |
| 1900s | 1 events | 1.5 events | 0.5 events | United States |
| 1910s | 1 events | 2 events | 1 events | United States |
| 1940s | 2 events | 1 events | 1 events | Costa Rica |
| 1950s | 1.5 events | 2 events | 0.5 events | United States |
| 1970s | 1 events | 2 events | 1 events | United States |
| 1980s | 2 events | 4 events | 2 events | United States |
| 1990s | 2 events | 1.67 events | 0.3333 events | Costa Rica |
| 2000s | 1 events | 2.5 events | 1.5 events | United States |
| 2010s | 1 events | 2 events | 1 events | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of significant earthquakes, Costa Rica or United States?
- Costa Rica, at 1 events against 1 events in United States as of 2017.
- What is the difference in number of significant earthquakes between Costa Rica and United States?
- 0 events, with Costa Rica ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and United States?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1854 to 2016.
- How do Costa Rica and United States rank globally for number of significant earthquakes?
- Costa Rica 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.
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.