What is the highest global number of reported disasters by size recorded in New Zealand?

The highest recorded value was 3 events in 1988.

What is the lowest global number of reported disasters by size recorded in New Zealand?

The lowest recorded value was 0 events in 1929.

How does New Zealand rank for global number of reported disasters by size?

New Zealand ranks 15th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.

Where does this New Zealand data come from?

The figures come from EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Global number of reported disasters by size. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Global number of reported disasters by size in New Zealand

Name: Global number of reported disasters by size in New Zealand
Creator: EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

New Zealand: Global number of reported disasters by size was 1 events in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)

1 events

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

15th

of 199 countries

All-time high

3 events

in 1988

All-time low

0 events

in 1929

Years of data

1929–2024

Global number of reported disasters by size in New Zealand, 1929–2024

Source: EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in events.

Analysis

New Zealand recorded 1 events for global number of reported disasters by size in 2024.

Over the whole period, global number of reported disasters by size in New Zealand peaked at 3 events in 1988 and was at its lowest, 0 events, in 1929.

New Zealand ranks 15th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Highest	Years
1920s	0 events	0 events	1
1930s	0 events	0 events	2
1950s	0 events	0 events	1
1960s	0 events	0 events	1
1970s	1 events	2 events	4
1980s	1.44 events	3 events	9
1990s	0.75 events	2 events	8
2000s	0.625 events	1 events	8
2010s	0.1111 events	1 events	9
2020s	0.8 events	1 events	5

Countries ranked near New Zealand

15 Algeria 1 events compare
15 Argentina 1 events compare
15 Azerbaijan 1 events compare
15 Bahamas 1 events compare
15 Bangladesh 1 events compare
15 Belarus 1 events compare
15 Benin 1 events compare
15 Bhutan 1 events compare
15 Bulgaria 1 events compare
15 Burundi 1 events compare
15 Canada 1 events compare
15 Chile 1 events compare
15 China 1 events compare
15 Colombia 1 events compare
15 Cuba 1 events compare
15 Cyprus 1 events compare
15 El Salvador 1 events compare
15 Eswatini 1 events compare
15 France 1 events compare
15 Guyana 1 events compare
15 Iran 1 events compare
15 Iraq 1 events compare
15 Israel 1 events compare
15 Kazakhstan 1 events compare
15 Kiribati 1 events compare
15 Kyrgyzstan 1 events compare
15 Lesotho 1 events compare
15 Madagascar 1 events compare
15 Malaysia 1 events compare
15 Maldives 1 events compare
15 Mexico 1 events compare
15 Moldova 1 events compare
15 Mongolia 1 events compare
15 Montserrat 1 events compare
15 Myanmar 1 events compare
15 Nicaragua 1 events compare
15 Northern Mariana Islands 1 events compare
15 Panama 1 events compare
15 Philippines 1 events compare
15 Puerto Rico 1 events compare
15 Russia 1 events compare
15 Spain 1 events compare
15 Taiwan 1 events compare
15 Tokelau 1 events compare
15 Turkey 1 events compare
15 Uzbekistan 1 events compare
15 Venezuela 1 events compare
15 Wallis and Futuna 1 events compare

See the full ranking of 200 places →

More reference data data for New Zealand

Summer temperature anomalies 1.76 °C (2026)
Temperature anomalies by month 0.0464 °C (2026)
Spring temperature anomalies 0.2008 °C (2026)
Winter temperature anomalies 0.5536 °C (2025)
Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
Consumer price index 144.86 2010 = 100 (2025)
Autumn temperature anomalies 0.5251 °C (2025)
Democracy 7 (2025)
Free country 2 (2025)
Civil liberties rating 1 (2025)

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is global number of reported disasters by size in New Zealand?: Global number of reported disasters by size in New Zealand was 1 events in 2024, according to EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest global number of reported disasters by size recorded in New Zealand?: The highest recorded value was 3 events in 1988.
What is the lowest global number of reported disasters by size recorded in New Zealand?: The lowest recorded value was 0 events in 1929.
How does New Zealand rank for global number of reported disasters by size?: New Zealand ranks 15th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?: The figures come from EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Global number of reported disasters by size. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Global number of reported disasters by size
Unit: events
Source: EM-DAT, CRED / UCLouvain (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 200 places, 6,037 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Reported disasters that result in no more than 5 deaths, affect no more than 1,500 people, and cause economic damages not exceeding 13 million current US dollars. The economic threshold for previous years is adjusted for inflation accordingly.