Japan vs Papua New Guinea: Number of significant volcanic eruptions
Number of significant volcanic eruptions over time
- Japan
- Papua New Guinea
How they compare
Japan currently reports 2 events against 1 events in Papua New Guinea, a difference of 1 events.
That makes Japan's figure about 2.0 times Papua New Guinea's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 14 shared years of data; in 1888 it was Papua New Guinea ahead.
Japan ranks 3rd and Papua New Guinea ranks 6th of 25 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 3 and Papua New Guinea in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | Papua New Guinea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1 events | 1 events | 0 events | — |
| 1890s | 1 events | 2 events | 1 events | Papua New Guinea |
| 1910s | 1 events | 1 events | 0 events | — |
| 1950s | 2.33 events | 1 events | 1.33 events | Japan |
| 1970s | 1.67 events | 1 events | 0.6667 events | Japan |
| 1990s | 1.67 events | 1.33 events | 0.3333 events | Japan |
| 2010s | 1.5 events | 2 events | 0.5 events | Papua New Guinea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of significant volcanic eruptions, Japan or Papua New Guinea?
- Japan, at 2 events against 1 events in Papua New Guinea as of 2018.
- What is the difference in number of significant volcanic eruptions between Japan and Papua New Guinea?
- 1 events, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and Papua New Guinea?
- 14 years are reported by both, from 1888 to 2018.
- How do Japan and Papua New Guinea rank globally for number of significant volcanic eruptions?
- Japan ranks 3rd and Papua New Guinea ranks 6th 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.