Iceland vs Japan: Number of significant volcanic eruptions
Iceland
1 events
in 2023
Japan
2 events
in 2018
Iceland rank
6th
Japan rank
3rd
Number of significant volcanic eruptions over time
- Iceland
- Japan
How they compare
Japan currently reports 2 events against 1 events in Iceland, a difference of 1 events.
That makes Japan's figure about 2.0 times Iceland's.
Across all 7 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Iceland ranks 6th and Japan ranks 3rd of 25 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1710s | 1 events | 1 events | 0 events | — |
| 1720s | 1 events | 1 events | 0 events | — |
| 1940s | 1 events | 2 events | 1 events | Japan |
| 1970s | 1 events | 1 events | 0 events | — |
| 1990s | 1 events | 1 events | 0 events | — |
| 2010s | 1 events | 1 events | 0 events | — |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of significant volcanic eruptions, Iceland or Japan?
- Japan, at 2 events against 1 events in Iceland as of 2018.
- What is the difference in number of significant volcanic eruptions between Iceland and Japan?
- 1 events, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and Japan?
- 7 years are reported by both, from 1716 to 2011.
- How do Iceland and Japan rank globally for number of significant volcanic eruptions?
- Iceland ranks 6th and Japan ranks 3rd of 25 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 volcanic eruptions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
A significant eruption is classified as one that meets at least one of the following criteria: caused fatalities, caused moderate damage (approximately $1 million or more), with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6 or larger, caused a tsunami, or was associated with a major earthquake.