Iceland vs United States: Number of significant earthquakes
Iceland
1 events
in 2008
United States
1 events
in 2024
Iceland rank
21st
United States rank
21st
Number of significant earthquakes over time
- Iceland
- United States
How they compare
Iceland currently reports 1 events against 1 events in United States, a difference of 0 events.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 5 shared years of data; in 1912 it was United States ahead.
Iceland ranks 21st and United States ranks 21st of 97 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 1 events | 1 events | 0 events | — |
| 1920s | 1 events | 3 events | 2 events | United States |
| 1930s | 1 events | 2 events | 1 events | United States |
| 2000s | 1.5 events | 2.5 events | 1 events | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of significant earthquakes, Iceland or United States?
- Iceland, at 1 events against 1 events in United States as of 2008.
- What is the difference in number of significant earthquakes between Iceland and United States?
- 0 events, with Iceland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and United States?
- 5 years are reported by both, from 1912 to 2008.
- How do Iceland and United States rank globally for number of significant earthquakes?
- Iceland 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.