Number of significant earthquakes in Nicaragua

Nicaragua: Number of significant earthquakes was 2 events in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
2 events
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
11th
of 97 countries
All-time high
2 events
in 1844
All-time low
1 events
in 1648
Years of data
34
1648–2016

Number of significant earthquakes in Nicaragua, 1648–2016

00.511.521648183220161648: 1 events1663: 1 events1844: 2 events1870: 1 events1881: 1 events1885: 1 events1898: 1 events1901: 1 events1916: 1 events1919: 1 events1921: 1 events1922: 1 events1925: 1 events1926: 1 events1930: 1 events1931: 1 events1937: 1 events1938: 2 events1940: 1 events1947: 1 events1951: 2 events1955: 1 events1956: 1 events1963: 1 events1968: 1 events1972: 1 events1985: 1 events1992: 1 events2000: 1 events2004: 1 events2009: 1 events2012: 1 events2014: 2 events2016: 2 events

Source: National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in events.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of significant earthquakes in Nicaragua is 2 events, measured in 2016. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.

The figure is up 100.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of significant earthquakes in Nicaragua peaked at 2 events in 1844 and was at its lowest, 1 events, in 1648.

That places Nicaragua 11th out of 97 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1640s 1 events 1 events 1 events 1
1660s 1 events 1 events 1 events 1
1840s 2 events 2 events 2 events 1
1870s 1 events 1 events 1 events 1
1880s 1 events 1 events 1 events 2
1890s 1 events 1 events 1 events 1
1900s 1 events 1 events 1 events 1
1910s 1 events 1 events 1 events 2
1920s 1 events 1 events 1 events 4
1930s 1.25 events 1 events 2 events 4
1940s 1 events 1 events 1 events 2
1950s 1.33 events 1 events 2 events 3
1960s 1 events 1 events 1 events 2
1970s 1 events 1 events 1 events 1
1980s 1 events 1 events 1 events 1
1990s 1 events 1 events 1 events 1
2000s 1 events 1 events 1 events 3
2010s 1.67 events 1 events 2 events 3

Countries ranked near Nicaragua

  1. 11 Croatia 2 events compare
  2. 11 Dominican Republic 2 events compare
  3. 11 Fiji 2 events compare
  4. 11 India 2 events compare
  5. 11 Italy 2 events compare
  6. 11 New Caledonia 2 events compare
  7. 11 New Zealand 2 events compare
  8. 11 Trinidad and Tobago 2 events compare
  9. 11 Venezuela 2 events compare

See the full ranking of 97 places →

More reference data data for Nicaragua

All data for Nicaragua →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of significant earthquakes in Nicaragua?
Number of significant earthquakes in Nicaragua was 2 events in 2016, according to National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of significant earthquakes recorded in Nicaragua?
The highest recorded value was 2 events in 1844.
What is the lowest number of significant earthquakes recorded in Nicaragua?
The lowest recorded value was 1 events in 1648.
How does Nicaragua rank for number of significant earthquakes?
Nicaragua ranks 11th out of 97 countries with data for 2016.
Is number of significant earthquakes rising or falling in Nicaragua?
Over the last ten years it is up 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nicaragua data come from?
The figures come from National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of significant earthquakes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Number of significant earthquakes
Unit
events
Source
National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
97 places, 4,005 data points, 1000–2024
Last refreshed

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.