Number of significant earthquakes in Rwanda

Rwanda: Number of significant earthquakes was 1 events in 2021. ▬ Flat

Latest (2021)
1 events
World rank
21st
of 97 countries
All-time high
1 events
in 2002
All-time low
1 events
in 2002
Years of data
5
2002–2021

Number of significant earthquakes in Rwanda, 2002–2021

00.20.40.60.812002201120212002: 1 events2008: 1 events2015: 1 events2016: 1 events2021: 1 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 Rwanda is 1 events, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of significant earthquakes in Rwanda peaked at 1 events in 2002 and was at its lowest, 1 events, in 2002.

That places Rwanda 21st out of 97 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.

Number of significant earthquakes in Rwanda, year by year

Annual values for Number of significant earthquakes in Rwanda, 2002 to 2021.
Year events Change
2002 1 events
2008 1 events +0.0%
2015 1 events +0.0%
2016 1 events +0.0%
2021 1 events +0.0%

Rwanda compared with similar countries

  • Rwanda's 1 events is above the median for low income countries, which is 1 events, 1.0× the median. (7 countries reporting)
  • Rwanda's 1 events is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1 events, 1.0× the median. (7 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1 events 1 events 1 events 2
2010s 1 events 1 events 1 events 2
2020s 1 events 1 events 1 events 1

Countries ranked near Rwanda

  1. 21 Albania 1 events compare
  2. 21 Algeria 1 events compare
  3. 21 Antarctica 1 events compare
  4. 21 Argentina 1 events compare
  5. 21 Armenia 1 events
  6. 21 Australia 1 events compare
  7. 21 Austria 1 events compare
  8. 21 Azerbaijan 1 events compare
  9. 21 Bangladesh 1 events compare
  10. 21 Bolivia 1 events
  11. 21 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 events compare
  12. 21 Brazil 1 events compare
  13. 21 Bulgaria 1 events compare
  14. 21 Canada 1 events compare
  15. 21 Chile 1 events compare
  16. 21 China 1 events compare
  17. 21 Colombia 1 events compare
  18. 21 Congo 1 events compare
  19. 21 Costa Rica 1 events compare
  20. 21 Cuba 1 events compare
  21. 21 Ecuador 1 events compare
  22. 21 Egypt 1 events
  23. 21 El Salvador 1 events compare
  24. 21 Eritrea 1 events
  25. 21 Ethiopia 1 events compare
  26. 21 France 1 events compare
  27. 21 Georgia 1 events compare
  28. 21 Germany 1 events compare
  29. 21 Ghana 1 events
  30. 21 Guadeloupe 1 events
  31. 21 Guatemala 1 events compare
  32. 21 Haiti 1 events compare
  33. 21 Honduras 1 events compare
  34. 21 Iceland 1 events compare
  35. 21 Iraq 1 events
  36. 21 Israel 1 events
  37. 21 Jamaica 1 events
  38. 21 Kazakhstan 1 events compare
  39. 21 Kyrgyzstan 1 events compare
  40. 21 Lebanon 1 events compare
  41. 21 Martinique 1 events compare
  42. 21 Mongolia 1 events
  43. 21 Montenegro 1 events compare
  44. 21 Morocco 1 events compare
  45. 21 Myanmar 1 events compare
  46. 21 Nepal 1 events compare
  47. 21 North Korea 1 events
  48. 21 North Macedonia 1 events compare
  49. 21 Pakistan 1 events compare
  50. 21 Panama 1 events compare
  51. 21 Papua New Guinea 1 events compare
  52. 21 Poland 1 events compare
  53. 21 Portugal 1 events
  54. 21 Romania 1 events
  55. 21 Russia 1 events compare
  56. 21 Samoa 1 events compare
  57. 21 Serbia 1 events compare
  58. 21 Slovenia 1 events
  59. 21 Solomon Islands 1 events compare
  60. 21 South Africa 1 events compare
  61. 21 South Korea 1 events compare
  62. 21 Spain 1 events compare
  63. 21 Switzerland 1 events compare
  64. 21 Syria 1 events compare
  65. 21 Taiwan 1 events compare
  66. 21 Tajikistan 1 events compare
  67. 21 Tanzania 1 events compare
  68. 21 Tonga 1 events compare
  69. 21 Tunisia 1 events
  70. 21 Turkmenistan 1 events
  71. 21 United Kingdom 1 events compare
  72. 21 United States 1 events compare
  73. 21 Uzbekistan 1 events compare
  74. 21 Vanuatu 1 events compare
  75. 21 Vietnam 1 events compare
  76. 21 Yemen 1 events

See the full ranking of 97 places →

More reference data data for Rwanda

All data for Rwanda →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of significant earthquakes in Rwanda?
Number of significant earthquakes in Rwanda was 1 events in 2021, 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 Rwanda?
The highest recorded value was 1 events in 2002.
What is the lowest number of significant earthquakes recorded in Rwanda?
The lowest recorded value was 1 events in 2002.
How does Rwanda rank for number of significant earthquakes?
Rwanda ranks 21st out of 97 countries with data for 2021.
Is number of significant earthquakes rising or falling in Rwanda?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Rwanda 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.

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Number of significant earthquakes in Rwanda. Statizoid, drawing on National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/significant-earthquakes/rwanda/

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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.