List of wars and disasters by death toll
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A death toll is the number of dead as a result of war, violence, accident, natural disaster, extreme weather, or disease.
Below is a list of death tolls for various infamous incidents. Most numbers are estimates and are often in dispute. The incidents are ranked by the highest estimate given.
Some events overlap categories.
Contents |
Deaths caused by humans
War and military action
These figures include deaths of civilians from diseases, famine, and atrocities as well as deaths of soldiers in battle.
- 45,000,000–68,000,000 - World War II (1937–1945), (see World War II casualties)
- 33,000,000–36,000,000 - An Lushan Rebellion (756–763)
- 30,000,000–60,000,000 - Mongol Conquests (13th century)
- 25,000,000 - Manchu Conquest of Ming China (1616–1644)
- 20,000,000–50,000,000 - Taiping Rebellion (1851–1864)
- 17,000,000 - Timur Lenk's conquests (1370–1405)
- 15,000,000–66,000,000 - World War I (1914–1918) (see World War I casualties) note that the larger number includes Spanish flu deaths
- 10,000,000-25,000,000 - Sino-Japanese War (1931–1945)
- 5,000,000–9,000,000 - Russian Civil War (1917–1921)
- 3,800,000 - Second Congo War (1998–2004)
- 3,500,000–6,000,000 - Napoleonic Wars (1804–1815) (see Napoleonic Wars casualties)
- 3,000,000–8,000,000 - Thirty Years War (1618–1648)
- 2,500,000–3,500,000 - Korean War (1950–1953)
- 2,300,000–3,100,000 - Vietnam War (entire war 1945–1975)
- 2,000,000–4,000,000 - French Wars of Religion (1562–1598)
- 1,500,000–2,000,000 - Afghanistan (1979–2001)
- 1,000,000–1,500,000 Soviet invasion (1979–1989)
- 1,300,000–6,100,000 - Chinese Civil War (1928–1949) note that this figure excludes World War II casualties
- 300,000–3,100,000 before 1937
- 1,000,000–3,000,000 after World War II
- 1,000,000–1,200,000 - Seven Years' War (1756–1763)
- 1,000,000 - Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988)
- 1,000,000 - Sudanese Civil War (1983–2002)
- 1,000,000 - Biafran War (1967–1970)
- 1,000,000 - Aztec conquests (1427–1519)
- 900,000–1,000,000 - Mozambique Civil War (1976–1993)
- 800,000 - Congo Civil War (1991–1997)
- 558,052 - American Civil War (1861–1865)
- 550,000 - Somalian Civil War (1988 - )
- 500,000 - Angolan Civil War (1975–2002)
- 500,000 - Ugandan Civil War (1979–1986)
- 400,000–1,000,000 - War of the Triple Alliance in Paraguay (1864–1870)
- 360,000–1,000,000 - Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)
- 300,000 - First Burundi Civil War (1972)
- 300,000–3,000,000 - Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and Bangladesh Liberation War
- 300,000–2,000,000 - Mexican Revolution (1910–1920)
- 278,000 - 1992-1995 war in Bosnia
- 270,000–300,000 - Crimean War (1854–1856)
- 230,000–1,400,000 - Ethiopian Civil War (1974–1991)
- 220,000 - Liberian Civil War (1989 - )
- 200,000–800,000 - Warlord era in China (1917–1928)
- 200,000 - Sierra Leone Civil War (1991–2000)
- 200,000 - Guatemaltec Civil War (1960–1996)
- 190,000 - Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871)
- 150,000 - Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990)
- 150,000 - North Yemen Civil War (1962–1970)
- 150,000 - Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905)
- 120,000 - Algerian Civil War (1991 - )
- 100,500 - Chaco War (1932–1935)
- 100,000 - Gulf War (1991)
- 100,000–1,000,000 - Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962)
- 75,000 - Ethiopia–Eritrea War (1998–2000)
- 75,000 - El Salvador Civil War (1980–1992)
- 75,000 - Second Boer War (1898–1902)
- 69,000 - Peru/Shining Path conflict (1980 - )
- 60,000 - Sri Lanka/Tamil conflict (1983-)
- 35,000 - Finnish Civil War (1918)
- 30,000–100,000 - American led invasion and occupation of Iraq (2003 - )
- 30,000 - Turkey/PKK conflict (1984 - )
- 30,000 - Sino-Vietnamese War (1979)
- 20,000 - 49,600 U.S. Invasion of Afghanistan
- 13,000 - South Yemen Civil War (1986)
- 7,000 - Kosovo War (1996–1999) (disputed)
- 5,000 - Turkish invasion of Cyprus (1974)
- 3,000 - Northern Ireland conflict. (1969 - 1998)
- 3,000 - Civil war in Côte d'Ivoire (2002 - )
- 2,000 - Football War (1969)
- 1,500 - Romanian Revolution (December 1989)
- 1,000 - Zapatista uprising in Chiapas (1994)
- 1,000 - Falklands War (1982)
- 537–3,000 - Operation Just Cause (Panama, 1989)
Individual battles and sieges
- 2,000,000 - Brusilov Offensive (4 June-20 September 1916)
- 1,800,000 - Battle of Stalingrad (1942–1943)
- 1,500,000 - Siege of Leningrad (1941–1944)
- 700,000 - Battle of Moscow (1941–1942)
- 500,000 - First Battle of the Marne (1914)
- 500,000 - Battle of Smolensk (1941)
- 400,000 - Battle of Kiev (1941)
- 370,000 - Battle of Voronezh (1942)
- 370,000 - Battle of Belarus (1941)
- 300,000 - Battle of the Somme (1916)
- 280,000 - Warsaw Uprising (1944)
- 280,000 - Second Battle of the Aisne (1917)
- 270,000 - Second Rzhev-Sychevka Offensive (1942)
- 270,000 - Battle of West Ukraine (1944)
- 260,000 - Battle of Verdun (1916)
- 260,000 - Battle of the Caucasus (1942)
- 240,000 - Third Battle of the Aisne (1918)
- 240,000(est) - Battle of Bibracte (58 BC)
- 230,000 - Battle of Berlin (1945)
- 230,000–350,000 - Battle of Kursk (1943)
- 207,000 - Battle of Plataea (479 BC)
- 200,000 - Siege of Tenochtitlan (1520–1521)
- 200,000 - Battle of Carthage (149 BC–146 BC)
- 190,000 - Battle of West Ukraine (1941)
- 180,000 - Battle of France (1940)
- 175,000–350,000 - Operation Bagration (1944)
- 170,000 - Battle of the Lower Dnieper (1943)
- 170,000 - Battle of Königsberg (1945)
- 165,000–300,000 Battle of Chalons (451)
- 150,000 - Battle of Rostov (1941)
- 150,000 - Battle of Okinawa (1945)
- 150,000 - Battle of Passchendaele (1917)
- 150,000 - Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC)
- 140,000 - Battle of Vercellae (101 BC)
- 132,000 - Battle of Normandy (1944)
- 130,000 - Battle of Gallipoli (1916)
- 130,000 - Battle of Budapest (1945)
- 125,000 - Third Battle of Nanking (1864)
- 125,000 - Battle of Lemberg (1914)
- 120,000 - Battle of Arausio (105 BC)
- 117,000 - Battle for the Liberation of Manila (1945)
- 115,000 - Battle of the Frontiers (1914)
- 110,000 - Battle of Issus (333 BC)
- 100,000 - Battle of Chernikov-Poltava (1943)
- 100,000 - Battle of Smolensk (1943)
- 100,000(est) - Battle of Lugdunum (197)
- 90,000 - Battle of Cambrai (1917)
- 90,000 - Battle of Aquae Sextiae (102 BC)
- 83,000 - Battle of the Baltic (1941)
- 80,000 - Battle of Gazala (1942)
- 80,000 - Battle of the Somme (1918)
- 80,000 - Second Battle of the Marne (1918)
- 80,000(est) - Battle of Watling Street (AD 61)
- 74,000 - Battle of Polyarnoe-Karelia (1941)
- 72,000+ - Battle of Belgorod (1943)
- 70,000 - Second Battle of El Alamein (1942)
- 70,000 - Second Battle of the Atlantic (1939–1945)
- 70,000 - Second Battle of Anchialus (917)
- 69,000 - Battle of Leyte (1944)
- 66,000 - Battle of Donbass (1943)
- 65,000 - Battle of Lvov-Sandomir (1944)
- 62,000 - Battle of Artois (1915)
- 61,000 - Battle of the Baltic (1944)
- 60,000 - Battle of Basra (1985–1988)
- 60,000 - Battle of Monte Cassino (1944)
- 60,000 - Battle of Arras (1917)
- 60,000 - First Battle of Ypres (1914)
- 60,000 - Battle of Champagne (1915)
- 56,000–66,000 - Battle of Cannae (216 BC)
- 55,000 - Korsun Pocket (1944)
- 55,000 - Battle of Voronezh (1943)
- 50,000–80,000 - Battle of Salamis (480 BC)
- 50,000 - Meuse-Argonne offensive (1918)
- 50,000 - Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo (1917)
- 50,000 - Battle of Caporetto (1917)
- 50,000 - Battle of Hsuchow (1927)
- 45,000 - Fourth Battle of Kharkov (1943)
- 45,000 - Battle of Hurtgen Forest (1944–1945)
- 44,000 - Battle of the Crimea (1944)
- 42,000 - Battle of the Seelow Heights (1945)
- 40,000–56,000 - Tet Offensive (1968)
- 40,000 - Battle of Imphal (1944)
- 40,000 - Battle of Adrianople (378)
- 38,000 - Battle of the Bulge (1944–1945)
- 37,000 - Battle of Tannenberg (1914)
- 36,500 - Battle of the Ebro (1938)
- 35,000 - Battle of Mukden (1905)
- 32,000 - Battle of Lepanto (1571)
- 31,000 - Battle of Thapsus (46 BC)
- 31,000 - Battle of Taierzhuang (1937)
- 30,000 - Battle of Saipan (1944)
- 30,000 - Battle of Konotop (1659)
- 30,000 - Battle of Marignan (1515)
- 30,000–50,000 - Battle of Naissus (268)
- 30,000 - Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (9)
- 30,300–34,000 - Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC)
- 29,000 - Battle of Iwo Jima (1945)
- 28,000–38,000 - Battle of Towton, (Wars of the Roses, 1461)
- 26,000 - Battle of Guadalcanal, (1942–1943)
- 25,000 - Battle of Pydna (168 BC)
- 26,000 - Katyn Massacre (1940)
- 24,000 - Battle of Chancellorsville (1863)
- 22,500 - Battle of Leipzig (1813)
- 21,000 - Battle of Guam (1944)
- 20,000–30,000 - Battle of Munda (45 BC)
- 20,000 - Battle of the Trebia (218 BC)
- 20,000 - Battle of Zama (202 BC)
- 19,000 - Battle of Vienna (1683)
- 18,500 - Battle of Borodino (1812)
- 18,500 - Operation Market Garden (1944)
- 17,000 - Battle of Bataan (1942)
- 16,500 - Battle of Halhin Gol (1939)
- 15,000 - Battle of Waterloo (1815)
- 15,000 - Battle of Lake Trasimene (217 BC)
- 13,500 - Battle of Leyte Gulf (1944)
- 12,000 - Siege of Tobruk (1941)
- 11,000 - Battle of Heraclea (180 BC)
- 11,000 - Siege of Petersburg, Virginia (1864–1865)
- 10,500 - Battle of Asculum (279 BC)
- 10,360 - Battle of Mons Graupius (83 or 84)
- 10,000 - Battle of the Metaurus (207 BC)
- 10,000 - Battle of Celaya (1913)
- 8,700 - Battle of Cynoscephalae (197 BC)
- 8,600 - Battle of Jutland (1916)
- 8,000+ - Battle of Agincourt, (Hundred Years' War, 1415)
- 7,200 - Kokoda Track Campaign, (1942–1943)
- 7,058 - Battle of Gettysburg (1863)
- 7,000–11,000 - Battle of Pharsalus (48 BC)
- 6,592 - Battle of Marathon (490 BC)
- 6,500 - Battle of the Kasserine Pass (1943)
- 6,500 - Battle of Tinian (1944)
- 5,700 - Battle of Tarawa (1943)
- 5,350+ - Battle of Suomussalmi (1939–1940)
- 5,000–8,000 - Battle of Hastings (1066)
- 5,000+ - Battle of Dara (530)
- 5,000+ - Battle of Dyrrhachium (1081)
- 4,808 - Battle of Antietam (1862)
- 4,360 - Battle of Chickamauga (1863)
- 4,329 - Battle of Isandlwana (1879)
- 4,175 - Battle of Leuthen (1757)
- 3,750 - Battle of the Wilderness (1864)
- 3,477 - Battle of Shiloh (1862)
- 3,205 - Second Battle of Bull Run (1862)
- 2,800 - Battle of Midway (1942)
- 2,400 - La Noche Triste (1520)
- 2,000+ - Battle of Manzikert (1071)
- 1,900 - First Battle of Fredericksburg (1862)
- 1,705 - Battle of Cold Harbor (June 1-3, 1864)
- 1,700 - Battle of Vicksburg (1863)
- 1,000+ - Battle of Dyrrhachium (48 BC)
- 868 - First Battle of Bull Run (July 21, 1861)
- 567 - Battle of Rorke's Drift (1879)
- 495 - Battle of Monongahela (1755)
- 383 - Battle of the Alamo (1836)
- 366 - Battle of Bunker Hill (1775)
- 350 - Battle of Spion Kop (1900)
- 302 - Battle of Little Bighorn (1876)
- 200–2,850 - Battle for Fallujah (November 8–November 14, 2004)
Genocide and democide
- 40,000,000 - Mao Zedong's Regime (China, 1949-1975)
- 20,000,000–62,000,000 - Stalin's regime (1924-53), (not including WWII)[1].
- 11,000,000–19,000,000 - Slave trade in Islamic World over 1200 years (7th - 19th century)
- 6,000,000–60,000,000 - African and Atlantic slave trade (16th - 19th century)
- 5,000,000–12,000,000 - Nazi internments and Holocaust in Europe
- 6,000,000 - Jews
- 3,000,000 - victims of camps of other nationalities, mostly Eastern European
- 2,600,000–4,000,000 Soviet prisoners of war
- 1,000,000+ - Political prisoners
- 250,000–1,000,000 Roma
- 70,000–275,000 Handicapped
- 10,000–220,000 Homosexuals
- 5,000,000–10,000,000 - Congo Free State, (1877 - 1908)
- 2,000,000–100,000,000 - Destruction of Native Americans (after 1492) The estimates involved are controversial. For details of the controversy, see the linked article.
- 2,000,000–3,000,000 - Pol Pot's communization program (Cambodia, 1975-1979)
- 1,000,000–3,000,000 Armenian Massacres (1895-1923) Heavily Disputed. Most cited number is 1.5 million. The Turkish government denies the genocide and accuses the Armenians of killing Turks instead
- 800,000–1,000,000 - Partition of India and Pakistan, (1947-1948)
- 500,000–1,500,000 - Degars killed in Vietnam, (Vietnam,1975 - present)
- ~400,000 - Ustasha/Independent State of Croatia genocide of Serbs, Jews, Roma people during World War II (1941-1945)
- 300,000 - Idi Amin's dictatorship (Uganda, 1971-1979)
- 260,000 - Greeks killed in Asia Minor (Turkey, 1912 - 1923)
- 250,000–1,000,000 - Massacre of alleged communists, (Indonesia, 1965-1966)
- 182,000 - Al-Anfal Campaign (Iraq, 1986-1989)
- 130,000-200,000 - civil war and highland massacres (Guatemala, civil war 1962-1996; intense period of highland massacres, early 1980s)
- 40,000–100,000 - Herero massacre, (Namibia, 1904-1908)
- 30,000 - Dictatorship of François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, (Haiti, 1964 - 1971)
- 10,000 - Bosnian Genocide
- 10,000–30,000 Argentina's Dirty War, (Argentina, 1976 - 1983)
- 18,000 - Duke of Alba (Spanish Netherlands, 1567-1573)
- 15,000–18,000 - Dictatorship of Fidel Castro, (Cuba, 1959 - present)
- 3,000 - Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship (Chile, 1973 - 1990)
Individual massacres, air raids, and concentration camps
- 1,100,000 - Auschwitz concentration camp (Oświęcim, Poland, 1940-1945)
- 937,000 - Genocide in Rwanda (Rwanda, 1994)
- 700,000–1,000,000 - Treblinka extermination camp, (Treblinka, Poland, 1942-1943)
- 500,000–900,000 - 1938 Huang He flood, caused by sabotage in the Second Sino-Japanese War (1938)
- 260,000 - Sobibór extermination camp
- 250,000–800,000 - Sack of Baghdad by Hulagu Khan (1258)
- 220,000 - Massacre of the Helvetii (58 BC)
- 200,000+ - Sack of Moscow by Crimean Tatars, 1571
- 100,000–300,000 - Jews massacred in Poland by the Cossacks led by Chmielnitzki, (1648 - 1649)
- 100,000 - Massacre of Romans by Mithridates VI Eupator (Anatolia, 88 BC)
- 100,000 Tokyo firebombing,1945
- 100,000 - Manila Massacre (Manila, Philippines, 1945)
- 70,000 - Sack of Merv by Genghis Khan (1221)
- 70,000 - St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (France, 1572)
- 66,000–237,062 - Hiroshima Bombing (Japan, 1945)
- 60,000–100,000 - Sack of Jerusalem, First Crusade (1099)
- 50,000–350,000 - Rape of Nanking, China (1937)
- 39,000–108,000 - Nagasaki Bombing (Japan, 1945)
- 30,000–40,000 - massacred in Novgorod by Ivan the Terrible
- 30,000 - Babi Yar Yom Kippur Jewish Massacre (Kiev, Ukraine, 1941)
- 25,000–60,000 Bombing of Dresden in World War II, (Germany,1945)
- 25,000 - Sack of Magdeburg (Thirty Years War, Germany, 1631)
- 20,000 - Sack of Baghdad by Timur (1401)
- 20,000 - Massacre of Praga (Poland, 1794)
- 14,000 - Haitians massacred by Rafael Leónidas Trujillo's government. (Dominican Republic, 1937)
- 12,000 - La matanza (El Salvador, 1931)
- 10,000–30,000 228 Incident, (Taiwan, 1947)
- 10,000 - Sack of Béziers (Albigensian Crusade, France, 1209)
- 8,000 - Srebrenica massacre (Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1995)
- 7,000 - Massacre in Thessalonika by Theodosius I (Byzantine Empire, 390)
- 7,000 - Zulus killed at the death of Nandi, mother of Shaka (1827)
- 5,000–12,000 - Massacre of Indians and Arabs in Zanzibar (Zanzibar, Tanzania, 1964)
- 5,000–7,000 - Halabja poison gas attack (Halabjah, Iraq, 1988)
- 5,000 - Massacre of Mamluks (Egypt, 1811)
- 1,645 - Guernica (1937)
- 900 - El Mozote Massacre (El Salvador, 1981)
- 622 - Jamestown Massacre (1622)
- 379–1,000 - Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (Amritsar, India, 1919)
- 360 - Wyoming Valley Massacre (Pennsylvania, United States, 1778)
- 347–504 - My Lai Massacre (Vietnam, 1968)
- 328–5,500 - Sabra and Shatila Massacre (Lebanon, 1982)
- 320 - Bloody Assizes (England, 1685)
- 300 - Weenen Massacre (Natal, South Africa, 1838)
- 300 - Wounded Knee Massacre (South Dakota, United States, 1890)
- 268 - Plan de Sánchez massacre (Guatemala, 1982)
- 192 - Tartu Massacre (Estonia, 1944)
- 150–200 Lawrence Massacre (Kansas, 1863)
- 150 - Sand Creek Massacre (Colorado, United States, 1864)
- 120 - Mountain Meadows Massacre (Utah, United States, 1857)
- 119 - Bojayá Massacre (Chocó, Colombia, 2002)
- 113 - Waxhaw Massacre (South Carolina, United States, 1780)
- 111 - Carandiru Massacre (São Paulo, Brazil, 1992)
- 100–300 - Waterloo Creek Massacre (Australia, 1838)
- 91–200 - Kristallnacht (Germany, 1938)
- 78 - Massacre of Glencoe (1692)
- 67 - Hebron 1929 Massacre (Palestine, 1929)
- 45–60 Acteal massacre (Mexico, 1997)
Terrorism
Note that Terrorism can be considered a point of view. See the Terrorism article for discussion of the different meanings of the word.
- 2,994 - September 11, 2001 attacks, (New York City, Arlington, VA, Shanksville, PA, United States, 2001)
- 344 - Beslan School Siege, (Beslan, Russia, 2004)
- 329 - Air India Flight 182 (Atlantic Ocean, south of Ireland, 1985)
- 299 - US and French barracks bombings, (Beirut, Lebanon, 1983)
- 270 - Pan Am Flight 103, (Lockerbie, Scotland, 1988)
- 257 - 1993 Mumbai bombings (Mumbai, India, 1993)
- 225 - 1998 U.S. embassy bombings, (Tanzania, Kenya, 1998)
- 202 - 2002 Bali bombing, (Indonesia, 2002)
- 191 - 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings, (Spain, 2004)
- 181 - Kerbala and Baghdad attacks, (2004, see Ashoura Massacre)
- 171 - UTA Flight UT-772, (Niger, 1989)
- 170 - Moscow Theatre Siege, (Russia, 2002)
- 168 - Oklahoma City bombing, (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, 1995)
- 116 - Superferry 14 bombing, (Philippines, 2004)
- 98 - Fuel tanker bombing, (Musayyib, Iraq, 2005)
- 91 - King David Hotel bombing, (Jerusalem, 1946)
- 90 - Central Bank Bombing, (Colombo, Sri Lanka, 1996)
- 90 - 2005 Sharm el-Sheikh attacks, (Egypt, 2005)
- 89 - Russian airplane bombings, (Russia, 2004)
- 88 - TWA Flight 841, (Ionian Sea, 1974)
- 86 - AMIA Bombing, (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1994)
- 85 - Stazione Centrale bombing, (Bologna, Italy, 1980)
- 63 - April 1983 US Embassy bombing, (Beirut, Lebanon, 1983)
- 61 - 29 October 2005 New Delhi bombings, (New Delhi, 2005)
- 57 - 2003 Istanbul Bombings, (Turkey, 2003)
- 56 - 7 July 2005 London bombings (London, 2005)
- 52 - 2003 Mumbai bombings, (Mumbai, India, 2003)
- 46 - Casablanca Attacks, (Morocco, 2003)
- 40 - Wall Street bombing, (New York City, 1920)
- 34 - 2004 Sinai bombings, Taba and Nuweib, Egypt, 2004
- 33 - Pan Am Flight 110, (Italy, 1973)
- 33 - Coimbatore blasts, (India, 1998)
- 33 - Dublin and Monaghan Bombings, (Ireland, 1974)
- 30 - Passover massacre, (Israel, 2002)
- 29 - Israeli Embassy Attack in Buenos Aires, (Argentina, 1992)
- 29 - Omagh Bombing, (Northern Ireland, 1998)
- 29 - Mosque of Abraham massacre, West Bank, (1994)
- 26 - bus No. 18 Jerusalem massacre, (Israel, 1996)
- 26 - Lod Airport Massacre, (Israel 1972)
- 26 - Riyadh Compound Bombings, (Saudi Arabia, 2003)
- 23 - Jerusalem bus 2 massacre, (Israel, 2003)
- 22 - No. 5 bus Tel-Aviv massacre, (Israel, 1994)
- 22 - Tel-Aviv central bus station massacre, (Israel, 2003)
- 21 - Dolphinarium massacre, (Israel, 2001)
- 21 - Maxim restaurant suicide bombing, (Israel, 2003)
- 21 - Beit Lid junction massacre, (Israel, 1995)
- 21 - Hipercor bombing by ETA, (Barcelona, Spain, 1987)
- 19 - bus No. 18 Jerusalem massacre, (Israel, 1996)
- 19 - Patt junction massacre, (Israel, 2002)
- 19 - Birmingham pub bombing, (England, 1974)
- 17 - USS Cole Bombing, (Yemen, 2000)
- 15 - Sbarro massacre, (Israel, 2001)
- 15 - Matza restaurant massacre, (Israel, 2002)
- 12 - Sarin attack, Tokyo Subway, (Tokyo, Japan, 1995)
- 11 - Deal barracks bombing, (Deal, Kent, England, 1989)
- 11 - Jerusalem bus 20 massacre, (Israel, 2002)
- 9 - Bloody Friday, (Northern Ireland, 1972)
- 6 - World Trade Center bombing, (New York, United States, 1993)
- 5 - Guildford pub bombing, (England, 1974)
- 5 - Brighton bombing, (England, 1984)
- 4 - Murder of Lord Mountbatten, (Northern Ireland, 1979)
- 3 - Sydney Hilton Hotel bombing, (Australia, 1978)
- 3 - Baltic Exchange bombing, (London, England, 1992)
Murder (other than through terrorism)
- 931 - Behram, Thugee cult, India, (1790 - 1830)
- ~650 - Erzsébet Báthory, Kingdom of Hungary, (c.1585 - 1610)
- 400 - Abadan theater arson (Abadan, Iran, 1978)
- 323 - Circus arson, (Niterói, Brazil, 1961)
- 300+ - Pedro Lopez, South America, (1969 - 1980)
- ~250 - Dr. Harold Shipman, Hyde, United Kingdom, (1970s?-1998)
- 189 - Subway arson (Daegu, South Korea, 2003)
- 140 - Luis Garavito, Colombia, (1992-1998)
- 97 - Dupont Plaza Hotel arson, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1986)
- 87 - Happyland Fire, New York City, (1990)
- 80+ - Bruno Ludke, Germany, (1928 - 1943)
- 63 - Arson at a Macedonian disco in Gothenburg, Sweden (1998)
- 53 - Andrei Chikatilo, Ukraine, (1982 - 1990)
- 52 - Anatoly Onopriyenko, Ukraine, (1996)
- 48 - Gary Ridgway, Green River Killer, Washington, USA (1980s)
- 45 - Bath School Disaster, Bath, Michigan, USA (1927)
- 35 - Port Arthur Massacre, Australia (1996)
- 33 - John Wayne Gacy, Chicago, (1970s)
- 27–63 Marcel Petiot, France, (1926 - 1944)
- 27 - Dean Corll, Houston, Texas, USA (1970 - 1973)
- 27 - Maria Swanenburg Leiden, Netherlands, (1880-1883)
- 24 - Bela Kiss, Cinkota, Hungary (1912 - 1916)
- 23 - Ted Bundy, Florida, (1970s)
- 22+ - Robert Pickton (alleged), (Vancouver, 1990s)
- 21 - Yoo Young-Chul, (Seoul, 2003-2004)
- 21 - James Oliver Huberty, McDonald's massacre, San Ysidro, California, USA (1984)
- 20-100 - H. H. Holmes, Chicago, USA (1890s)
- 18 - Dunblane Massacre, Scotland, United Kingdom (1996)
- 17 - Jeffrey Dahmer, Milwaukee, (1978-1991)
- 17 - Hungerford Massacre, England, (1987)
- 16 - Charles Whitman, University of Texas sniper, Austin, Texas (1966)
- 16 - Postal shooting, Edmond, Oklahoma (1986)
- 16 - Erfurt massacre, Erfurt, Germany (2002)
- 16 - West Port murders, Edinburgh, Scotland, (1827-1828)
- 15 - Columbine High School massacre Colorado, (1999)
- 15 - Dennis Nilsen London, United Kingdom, (1978-1983)
- 14 - École Polytechnique Massacre, Montreal, Canada, (1989)
- 13 - Howard Unruh, Camden, New Jersey, (1949)
- 13 - Hatfield-McCoy feud West Virginia/Kentucky (1860 - 1891)
- 13 - Boston Strangler, Boston, USA (1962 - 1964)
- 13 - Peter Sutcliffe, West Yorkshire, UK (1975 - 1980)
- 13 - Richard Ramirez, Southern California, USA (1985)
- 12 - Fred West, Gloucester, England, (1973 - 1987)
- 11 - Clifford Robert Olson, Lower Mainland, British Columbia (1981)
- 11 - Henri Désiré Landru, Paris, France, (1914 - 1918)
- 11 - Juan Manuel Alvarez, Glendale, California, (2005)
- 10 - Edmund Kemper, Santa Cruz, California (1964 - 1973)
- 10 - Dennis Rader ("BTK killer"), Kansas, USA (1974 - 1991)
- 10 - Hillside Strangler, Los Angeles, USA (1977 - 1978)
- 9-80 - Peter Kürten, Düsseldorf, Germany (1925 - 1929)
- 6+ - "Zodiac killer", California, USA (1966 - 1969?)
- 5+ - Jack the Ripper, London, England (1888)
- 5+ - Juan Covington, Philadelphia,Pennsylvania USA {1998 - 2005}
- 2-15 - Henry Lee Lucas, Texas, USA (1960 - 1983)
- 2 - Ed Gein, Plainfield, Wisconsin (1957)
Human sacrifice
- 2,000,000 - Thuggee cult (13th century - 1840)
- 80,000 (estimated) - suicides of Japanese civilians during the Battle of Okinawa, (1945)
- 15,000 (estimated) - Holy Inquisition (Europe). 1184 - 1800
- 8,000 - suicides of Japanese civilians and troops during the Battle of Saipan, (1944)
- 3,000 (modern estimate) - 80,000 ('classic' estimate) - temple of Huitzilopochtli, Tenochtitlan
- 960 - Jewish zealots, after a prolonged siege of Masada, during the Roman-Jewish war of 66-73
- 913 - Jonestown mass suicide & murders (Guyana, 1978)
- 53 - Order of the Solar Temple (Switzerland and Canada; October 5, 1994)
- 39 - Heaven's Gate (California, 1997)
- 16 - Order of the Solar Temple (France; December 23, 1995)
Riot or political demonstration
- 87,000 - Chinese massacres of Tibetan pro-independence protestors (Tibet, China 1959)
- 30,000 - Nika riots (Constantinople, 532)
- 11,000 - Romanian Peasants' Revolt, 1907
- 7,500 - March 1st Movement (Seoul, Korea, 1919)
- 3,000 - Burma 1988 demonstrations (Yangon, (a.o.) Myanmar, 1988)
- 1,000 - Bloody Sunday (1905) (St. Petersburg, Russia, 1905)
- 500–2,600 - Aftermath of Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 (China, 1989)
- 400 - Iranian pilgrim riot (Mecca, 1987)
- 300–5,000 - Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 (China, 1989)
- 300 - Tulsa Race Riot (Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1921)
- 285 - Gordon riots (England, 1780)
- 200–300 - Tlatelolco massacre (Mexico, 1968)
- 184 - May 13 Incident (Kuala Lumpur, 1969)
- 100 - Napoleon's "whiff of grapeshot" (Paris, 1795)
- 100 - New York Draft Riots (New York City, 1863)
- 95 - Riots in Palestine of May, 1921 (Tel Aviv, 1921)
- 94 - Jerusalem Riots of 1947
- 84 - Riot and crushing during mass arrests (Narathiwat province, Thailand, 2004)
- 50–60 - 1992 Los Angeles riots (1992)
- 50 - Champ-de-Mars massacre (Paris, 1791)
- 43 - Attica Prison riots (New York, 1971)
- 43 - 12th Street Riot (Detroit, 1967)
- 40–50 - Newton Rebellion (Newton, Northamptonshire, UK, 1607)
- 34 - Watts Riot (Los Angeles, 1965)
- 25 - Corpus Christi Massacre (Mexico City, 1971)
- 18 - Maria Hertogh riots (Singapore, 1950)
- 14 - Bloody Sunday (1972) (Derry, Northern Ireland)
- 13 - Chinese Middle School riots (Singapore, 1956)
- 11 - Peterloo massacre (England, 1819)
- 7–60 - Massacre in Côte d'Ivoire by French troops (Côte d'Ivoire, 2004)
- 5 - Greensboro massacre (Greensboro, North Carolina, 1979)
- 4 - Kent State shootings (Kent, Ohio, 1970)
- 4 - Hock Lee bus riots (Singapore, 1955)
Deaths caused by natural disasters
Earthquake
- 830,000 - Shaanxi earthquake (China, 1556)
- 286,000 - Indian Ocean earthquake & tsunamis (outside Indonesia, 2004)
- 242,000 - Tangshan earthquake (China, 1976)
- 230,000 - Aleppo earthquake (Syria, 1138)
- 200,000 - Gansu earthquake (China, 1920)
- 200,000 - Xining earthquake (China, 1927)
- 200,000 - Damghan earthquake (Iran, 856)
- 150,000 - Ardabil earthquake (Iran, 893)
- 140,000 - Great Kantō earthquake (Japan, 1923)
- 110,000 - Ashgabat earthquake (Turkmenistan, 1948)
- 100,000 - Messina earthquake (Italy, 1908)
- 100,000 - 1755 Lisbon earthquake (Portugal, 1755)
- 100,000 - Chihli earthquake, (China, 1290)
- 80,333+ -(still rising) 2005 Kashmir earthquake, (Pakistan, India, 2005)
- 80,000 - Shemakha earthquake (Caucasus, 1667)
- 77,000 - Tabriz earthquake (Iran, 1727)
- 70,000 - Gansu earthquake (China, 1932)
- 66,000 - Ancash earthquake (Peru, 1970)
- 60,000 - Sicily earthquake (1693)
- 60,000 - Quetta earthquake (Pakistan, 1935)
- 50,000 - Calabria earthquake (Italy, 1783)
- 50,000 - Iran earthquake (1990)
- 31,000–41,000 - Bam earthquake (Iran, 2003)
- 32,700 - Erzincan earthquake (Turkey, 1939)
- 25,000 - Spitak Earthquake (Armenia, 1988)
- 23,000 - Guatemala earthquake (1976)
- 20,000 - Gujarat earthquake (India, 2001)
- 20,000 - Valparaíso earthquake (Chile, 1960)
- 17,118 - Izmit earthquake (Turkey, 1999)
- 15,621 - Tonghai earthquake (China, 1970)
- 11,000 - Naples earthquake, (Italy, 1857)
- 10,700 - Bihar earthquake (India, 1934)
- 10,000 - Agadir earthquake (Morocco, 1960)
- 9,748 - India earthquake (India, 1993)
- 9,500 - Michoacán earthquake (Mexico, 1985)
- 6,433 - Great Hanshin earthquake, (Kobe, Japan, 1995)
- 2,400 - Chi-Chi earthquake (Taiwan, 1999)
- 1,570 - Romania earthquake (Romania, 1977)
- 700 - 1906 San Francisco earthquake (California, 1906)
- 571 - Morocco earthquake (Al Hoceima Province, 2004)
- 564 - Zarand (Iran, 2005)
- 258 - Napier earthquake (New Zealand, 1931)
- 131 - Good Friday Earthquake (Alaska, 1964)
- 115 - Long Beach earthquake of 1933 (California, 1933)
- 66 - Loma Prieta earthquake (California, 1989)
- 65+ - Sylmar earthquake (California, 1971)
- 57 - Northridge earthquake (California, 1994)
- 27 - 1872 Lone Pine earthquake (California, 1872)
- 13 - Newcastle earthquake (Australia, 1989)
A severe earthquake occurred on 5 July 1201 in the area of the eastern Mediterranean - (Upper Egypt, Syria). Every major city in the Near East was disrupted, and contemporary estimates put the total number killed at 1,100,000.
Volcanic eruption
- 92,000 - Mount Tambora, (Indonesia, 1815) (see also Year Without a Summer)
- 40,000 - Mount Pelée, (Martinique, 1902)
- 36,000 - Krakatoa, (Indonesia, 1883)
- 23,000 - Nevado del Ruiz, (Colombia, 1985)
- 18,000 - Mount Vesuvius, (Italy, 1631)
- 15,000 - Mount Unzen, (Japan, 1792)
- 10,000 - Kelut, (Indonesia, 1586)
- 9,350 - Laki, (Iceland, 1783)
- 3,600 - Mount Vesuvius, (79)
- 1,680 - Soufrière, (St. Vincent, West Indies, 1902)
- 1,000 - Cotopaxi, (Ecuador, 1887)
- 700 - Mount Pinatubo (Philippines, 1991)
- 245 - Nyiragongo, (Congo, 2002)
- 57 - Mount St. Helens (Washington, 1980)
A supervolcano that erupted at Lake Toba 74,000 years ago is thought to have reduced the global modern human population to less than 10 thousand individuals; see Toba catastrophe theory.
Tsunami
- 228,000–310,000 - Indian Ocean earthquake with tsunami, (Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Somalia, Myanmar, and other countries) 2004
- 100,000 - 1755 Lisbon earthquake, tsunami, earthquake and fire, 1755, Portugal and Morocco
- 70,000 - Messina, Italy, earthquake and tsunami, 1908
- 40,000 - South China Sea, 1782, including deaths in Taiwan
- 36,000 - Krakatoa volcano explosion, 1883
- 30,000 - Tokaido-Nankaido, Japan, 1707
- 27,000 - Japan, 1826
- 25,674 - Chile, 1868
- 22,070 - Sanriku, Japan, 1896
- 15,030 - caused by Mount Unzen, Southwest Kyushu, Japan, 1792
- 13,486 - Ryukyu Trench, 1771
- 5,233 - Tokaido-Kashima, Japan, 1703
- 5,000 - Nankaido, Japan, 1605
- 5,000 - Moro Gulf, Philippines, 1976
- 3,000 - Papua New Guinea, 1998
- 3,008 - Sanriku, Japan, 1933
- 2,000 - Great Chilean Earthquake, deaths in Chile, U.S. (Hawaii), Philippines and Japan, 1960
- 2,000 - Bristol Channel floods, 1607, possible tsunami, United Kingdom
- 165 - Aleutian Island earthquake, deaths in Hawaii and Alaska, U.S., 1946
- 122 - Good Friday Earthquake, Alaska and Hawaii, U.S., 1964
- 27 or 51 - Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, Canada, 1929
- 23 - Nice, France, 1979
Extreme weather
- 35,000 - European Heat Wave of 2003 (Europe, 2003)
- 15,000 - torrential rains and mudslides in Venezuela (1999)
- 12,000 - Great Smog of 1952, (United Kingdom, 1952)
- 4,000 - heat waves in Texas, Middle East and India (1998)
- 1,300 - tornado, Shaturia, Bangladesh (1989)
- 739 - Chicago Heat Wave of 1995 (Chicago, 1995)
- 695 - Tri-State Tornado, (1925)
- 669 - heavy storms ("Winnie") (and 695 missing), (Philippines, 2004)
- 271 - heat waves in Midwest and Northeast (1999)
- 250+ - Great Lakes Storm of 1913 (Great Lakes basin region, 1913)
- 246 - hail, Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh India (1888)
- 81 - lightning struck Boeing 707 airliner, near Elkton, Maryland (1963)
Hurricane, typhoon, and tropical cyclone
- 500,000 - Bhola cyclone (Bangladesh, 1970)
- 229,000 - Super Typhoon Nina, China, 1975 - contributed to Banqiao Dam failure
- 138,000 - 1991 Bangladesh cyclone, (Chittagong Bangladesh, 1991)
- 60,000 - typhoon, (China, 1922)
- 60,000 - 1864 Calcutta cyclone, (India, 1864)
- 50,000 - typhoon, (China, 1912)
- 40,000 - cyclone, (India, 1942)
- 30,000 - cyclone (Bangladesh, June 1, 1965)
- 22,000 - Great Hurricane of 1780, (Barbados, Martinique, St. Eustatius 1780)
- 22,000 - cyclone (Pakistan, 1963)
- 20,000 - cyclone (India, 1977)
- 18,277 - Hurricane Mitch (Central America 1998)
- 17,000 - cyclone (Bangladesh, May 11, 1965)
- 10,000 - cyclone (Karachi, Pakistan, 1965)
- 10,000 - cyclone in Orissa, India (1999)
- 10,000 - typhoon (Hong Kong, 1906)
- 9,574 - cyclone (India, 1999)
- 8,000 - Galveston Hurricane of 1900 (Texas, United States September 8, 1900)
- 8,000 - hurricane (Dominican Republic, 1930)
- 8,000 - Hurricane Fifi (Honduras, 1974)
- 7,200 - Hurricane Flora (Haiti, Cuba, 1963)
- 6,000 - Typhoon Thelma (Philippines, 1991)
- 6,000 - cyclone, (Pakistan, 1960)
- 5,000 - Typhoon Vera (Japan, 1958)
- 4,170 - Hurricane of Independence, (U.S., Canada, 1776)
- 4,075+ - Lake Okeechobee Hurricane, (U.S., 1928)
- 4,000 - hurricane, (Canada, 1775)
- 3,433 - hurricane, (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, 1899)
- 3,107 - hurricane, (Cuba, 1932)
- 3,037 - Hurricane Jeanne, (Haiti, 2004)
- 3,000 - hurricane, (Atlantic Ocean, 1782)
- 3,000 - hurricane, (Cuba, 1791)
- 3,000 - 1737 Calcutta cyclone (India)
- 2,334 - Typhoon Iris (China, 1959)
- 2,150 - hurricane, (Caribbean, 1935)
- 2,060 - Hurricane David, (Dominican Republic, U.S., 1979)
- 2,000-3,000 - hurricane, (Central America, 1934)
- 2,000 - hurricane, (Gulf of Mexico, 1780)
- 2,000 - hurricane, (Florida, 1781)
- 2,000 - hurricane, (Cuba, Florida, 1870)
- 2,000 - Chenier Caminada Hurricane, (Louisiana, 1893)
- 1,600 - Typhoon Mary, (China, 1960)
- 1,500-2,500 - hurricane, (Windward Islands, 1831)
- 1,500-2,500 - hurricane, (Central America, 1931)
- 1,500 - hurricane, (Greater Antilles, Mexico, 1909)
- 1,302 - Hurricane Katrina, (United States, 2005)
- 1,300 - Typhoon Ike, (Philippines, 1984)
- 1,200 - Hurricane Hazel (Grenada, Bahamas, Haiti, U.S., Canada, 1954)
- 1,153 - Hurricane Stan, (Mexico, Central America, 2005)
- 1,145 - Hurricane Gordon (Haiti, U.S., 1994)
- 1,115 - hurricane, (Jamaica, Cuba, 1780)
- 1,000-2,000 - Sea Islands Hurricane, (Georgia, South Carolina, 1893)
- 1,000 - Hurricane Inez, (Greater Antilles, Mexico, 1966)
- 1,000 - cyclone (India, 1998)
- 921 - hurricane, (Greater Antilles, Mexico, 1888)
- 709 - hurricane, (Cuba, 1926)
- 700 - hurricane, (Georgia, 1881)
- 700 - hurricane, (Greater Antilles, 1891)
- 600-700 - hurricane, (U.S., 1788)
- 650 - New England Hurricane of 1938, (U.S., 1938)
- 602 - Hurricane Georges, (Greater Antilles, 1998)
- 600 - hurricane (Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Texas, 1919)
- 600 - Hurricane Fox, (Cuba, 1952)
- 540-680 - Hurricane Janet, (Honduras, Mexico, 1955)
- 424 - hurricane, (North Carolina, 1857)
- 408 - Labor Day Hurricane (Florida, 1935)
- 400 - Last Island Hurricane, (Louisiana, 1856)
- 400 - Cyclone Mahina (Australia, 1899)
- 400 - Hurricane Hattie, (Belize, 1961)
- 400 - hurricane, (Texas, 1915)
- 399-550 - Hurricane Audrey, (Louisiana, 1957)
- 390 - hurricane, (U.S., 1944)
- 387 - hurricane, (U.S., 1866)
- 383 - hurricane, (Windward Islands, 1898)
- 364 - Hurricane Donna, (every U.S. state on east coast, 1960)
- 350 - hurricane, (Louisiana, 1909)
- 318 - Hurricane Gilbert, (Jamaica and Mexico, 1988)
- 265-350 - Great Miami Hurricane, (Florida, Louisiana, 1926)
- 256 - Hurricane Camille, (U.S., 1969)
- 228 - Hurricane Allen (Caribbean, U.S. 1980)
- 217 - Hurricane Cleo, (Caribbean and Florida, 1964)
- 216 - Hurricane Joan, (Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador , 1988)
- 200 - Hurricane Hilda (Mexico, 1955)
- 200 - Hurricane Diane (North Carolina, 1955)
- 122 - Hurricane Agnes (Eastern United States, 1972)
- 120 - Hurricane Ivan, (Caribbean, Alabama, Florida,2004)
- 113 - Hurricane Rita, (Florida, Mississippi, Texas, 2005
- 96 - Hurricane Diana, (Mexico, 1990)
- 86 - Hurricane Hugo (Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, 1989)
- 80 - Hurricane Eloise, (Hispaniola and Eastern United States, 1975)
- 76 - Hurricane Betsy, (Louisiana , 1965)
- 65 - Cyclone Tracy (Australia, 1974)
- 62 - Hurricane Andrew (Bahamas, Florida, Louisiana, 1992)
- 60 - Hurricane Carol ( New England, 1954)
- 59 - Hurricane Beulah (Texas, 1967)
- 59 - Hurricane Opal, (Guatemala, Mexico, Florida, 1995)
- 57 - Hurricane Floyd, (Bahamas, North Carolina, 1999)
- 51 - Hurricane Cesar, (Nicaragua, Central America, Colombia ,Venezuela, 1996
- 42 - Hurricane Hortense (Leeward Islands, 1996)
- 41 - Tropical Storm Allison (Texas. 2001)
- 40 - Hurricane Isabel (North Carolina, 2003)
- 38 - Hurricane Hilda, (Louisiana, 1964)
- 35 - Hurricane Charley (Jamaica, Cuba, Florida, 2004)
- 34 - Hurricane Fran (North Carolina, 1996)
Floods
- 1,000,000–3,700,000 - 1931 Huang He flood (China, 1931)
- 900,000–2,000,000 - 1887 Huang He flood (China, 1887)
- 229,000 - Banqiao Dam failure, China, 1975. Approximately 86,000 people died from flooding and another 145,000 died during subsequent epidemics.
- 145,000 - 1935 Yangtze river flood
- 142,000 - 1931 Yangtze river flood
- 100,000 - flood (North Vietnam, 1971)
- 100,000 - 1911 Yangtze river flood
- 30,000 - 1954 Yangtze river flood
- 10,000 - Great Iran Flood, (Iran, 1954)
- 2,200 - Johnstown Flood (Pennsylvania, 1889)
- 2,142 - North Sea Flood of 1953 storm surge, (Netherlands, United Kingdom, 1953)
- 2,000–5,000 - Manchhu River dam burst, (Morvi, Gujarat, India, 1979) some reports list as many as 12,000 dead.
- 1,909 - Vajont Dam landslide and flood, (Italy, 1963)
- 1,605–3,363 - spring flooding in Haiti and Dominican Republic (2004)
- 1,000 - Mumbai (Bombay) and the surrounding state Maharashtra, India, 26th July 2005
- 400 - St. Francis Dam failure, (California, 1928)
- 270 - Great Sheffield flood dam disaster, (England, 1864)
- 94 - Mameyes Disaster lanslide(Ponce,Puerto Rico,1985)
- 81 - Holmfirth Flood - Bilberry Resevoir Dam failure, West Yorkshire, England, 1852
- 78 - Austin Dam failure, (Pennsylvannia, 1911)
- 47 - McDonald Dam failure, (Austin, Texas, 1900)
- 16 - Brisbane flood (Australia, 1974)
Blizzards
- 4,000 - Iran, 1972
- 400 - Great Blizzard of '88, (Northeastern United States, 1888)
- 318 - 1993 North American Storm Complex, (Northeastern United States, 1993)
- 235 - Schoolhouse Blizzard, (Great Plains, USA, 1888)
- 144 - Armistice Day Blizzard, (Midwest, USA, 1940)
- 29 - Blizzard of 1977 (Buffalo, New York, USA, 1977)
Contractible disease
- 300,000,000+ - Smallpox (20th Century)
- 200,000,000 - Bubonic Plague (worldwide, 1300s)
- 100,000,000 - Plague of Justinian (Europe 540-590) (disputed)
- 10,000,000 - 100,000,000 - deaths from diseases in Europe (millions) and the Americas (tens of millions) from diseases exchanged between continents after 1492
- 20,000,000 - Spanish Flu (worldwide, 1918 - 1919)
- 19,000,000 - AIDS (worldwide, 1981 - )
- 10,000,000 - Bubonic Plague (China, 1892 - 1896)
- 5,000,000 - Antonine Plague (Roman Empire 165 - 180)
- 4,000,000 - Asian Flu pandemic (worldwide, 1957)
- 1,000,000 - Hong Kong Flu pandemic (worldwide, 1968)
- 130,000 - North American smallpox epidemic (1775 - 1782)
- 60,000 - Great Plague of London (1665)
- 775 - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) (Mostly East Asia, few cases in Europe, Canada and United States, 2002-2003)
- 677 - West Nile Virus outbreak (North America, 1999 - 2004)
- 62 - bird flu (started in Asia) (late in 2003-present)
Famine
some of these famines may be partially or completely caused by humans
- 1,000,000–43,000,000 - Period of Three Difficult Years (China, 1958 - 1961) (most estimates are between 25 and 35 million)
- 24,000,000 Chinese Famine of 1907
- 5,000,000 Chinese Famine of 1936
- 5,000,000 Holodomor (USSR 1932-1934)
- 5,000,000 Ukraine and Volga Famine (USSR 1921-1922)
- 3,000,000 Chinese Drought 1941
- 3,000,000 Chinese Famine of 1928-1930
- 3,000,000 Indian Drought of 1900
- 1,500,000 - 3,000,000 Bengal Famine of 1943 (India, 1943)
- 1,500,000 Indian Drought of 1965-1967
- 1,200,000 - North Korean famine (North Korea, 1995 - 1998)
- 1,100,000 - Irish potato famine (1846-1849)
- 1,000,000 - Ethiopian famine (1984)
- 30,000 - Dutch famine of 1944
Death from other causes
Fire
- ca. 2,500 - Church of La Compana (Santiago, Chile, 1863)
- ca. 2,000 - Peshtigo Fire, (Wisconsin, 1871)
- 1,700 - Waterfront fire, (Chongqing, China, 1949)
- 1,670 - theater fire (Canton, China, 1845)
- 1,100–2,700 - Salang tunnel fire (Afghanistan, 1982)
- 694 - theater fire (Xinjiang, China, 1977)
- 658 - Antoung Movie Theater (China, 1937)
- 620 - Ring Theatre (Vienna, Austria, 1881)
- 602 - Iroquois Theater Fire, (Chicago, 1903)
- 559 - forest fire (Cloquet, Minnesota, 1918)
- 500 - Pemex LP gas fire (Mexico City, Mexico, 1984)
- 500 - flood-spread fuel fire (Durunka, Egypt, 1994)
- 492 - Cocoanut Grove fire, (Boston, 1942)
- 468 - Texas City Disaster, (Texas City, Texas, 1947)
- 465+ - Asunción Paraguay supermarket fire, (2004)
- 441 - Rajiv Marriage Palace (school function) (Mandi Dabwali, India, 1995)
- 418 - Hinckley Fire (Minnesota, 1894)
- 400 - Abadan theater arson (Abadan, Iran, 1978)
- 326 - North German Lloyd Steamship Line piers (Hoboken, New Jersey, 1900)
- 324 - movie theater, (Xinjiang, China, 1994)
- 323 - Circus arson, (Niterói, Brazil, 1961)
- 322 - L'Innovation department store (Brussels, Belgium, 1967)
- 320 - Ohio State Penitentiary fire, (Columbus, Ohio, 1930)
- 310 - theater fire (Karamay, China, 1994)
- 309 - Disco fire (Luoyang, China, 2000)
- 300 - subway fire, (Baku, Azerbaijan, 1995)
- 300 - Great Chicago Fire (Chicago, 1871)
- 285 - Conway's Theater, (New York City, 1876)
- 282 - Thumb Fire, (Michigan, 1881)
- 189 - Subway arson (Daegu, South Korea, 2003)
- 189 - Joelma Fire, (São Paulo, Brazil, 1974)
- 187 - Doll factory (Bangkok, Thailand, 1993)
- 186 - República Cromagnon nightclub fire, (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2004)
- 178 - School fire Collinwood, Ohio, 1908)
- 170 - Rhoads Opera House (Boyerton, Pennsylvania, 1908)
- 167 - Piper Alpha oil platform, (North Sea, 1988)
- 165 - Beverly Hills Supper Club fire, (Southgate, Kentucky, 1977)
- 168 - Hartford Circus Fire, (Hartford, Connecticut, 1944)
- 162 - Hotel Daeyungak, Seoul, South Korea (25th December 1971)
- 160 - Richmond Theater, (Richmond, Virginia, 1811)
- 160 - Miramichi Fire, (New Brunswick, 1825)
- 156 - Alpine tunnel fire (Kaprun, Austria, 2000)
- 150 - Clifford's Tower, (York, England, 1190)
- 150 - Exeter Theatre Royal fire, (Exeter, England, 1887)
- 145 - Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, (New York, 1911)
- 140 - Gas truck crash, (Tarragona, Spain, 1978)
- 119 - Winecoff Hotel Fire, (Atlanta, Georgia, December 7, 1946)
- 100 - The Station nightclub fire (Rhode Island, 2003)
- 97 - Dupont Plaza Hotel arson, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1986)
- 92 - School Fire Kumbakonam,Tamil Nadu,India(16th July 2004)
- 84 - Paris Metro train fire (Paris, France, 1903)
- 76 - "Ash Wednesday" bushfires (Australia, 1983)
- 72 - Branch Davidian compound (Waco, Texas, 1993)
- 71 - "Black Friday" bushfires (Australia, 1939)
- 63 - discotheque fire (Göteborg, Sweden, 1998)
- 62 - Hobart bushfire (Australia, 1967)
- 51 - Summerland disaster (Douglas, Isle of Man, 1973)
- 48 - Stardust Nightclub, (Dublin, Ireland, 1981)
- 41 - Ballantyne's Department Store fire (Christchurch, New Zealand, 1947)
- 39 - Mont Blanc Tunnel fire, (France/Italy, 1999)
- 36 - Hindenburg disaster, (Lakehurst, New Jersey, 1937)
- 30 - King's Cross Station, Escalator fire, (London, 1987)
See also List of historic fires
Explosion
not including bombings, aviation incidents and mine disasters
- 1,635 - Halifax Explosion, (Nova Scotia, 1917)
- 1,100 - ammunition trucks (Cali, Colombia, 1956)
- 1,000 - Ammunition dump fire, (Lagos, Nigeria, 2002), many deaths were from drowning during the panic
- 568 - Texas City Disaster (Texas, 1947)
- 500 - Pipeline explosion beside Trans-Siberian railway (Ufa, Russia, 1989)
- 430 - chemical plant (Oppau, Germany, 1921)
- 322 - Port Chicago disaster (Port Chicago, California, 1944)
- 294 - New London School explosion (New London, Texas, 1937)
- 206 - gas explosions (Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, 1992)
- 130 - LP gas tanks (Cleveland, Ohio, 1944)
- 126 - Nedelin catastrophe, (USSR, 1960)
- 103 - USS Bennington, (off Quonset Point, Rhode Island, 1954)
- 100+ - Delft Explosion (Netherlands, 1654)
- 48 - Vostok rocket explosion (Soviet Union, 1980)
- 40 - Lapua ammo factory (Finland, 1976)
- 33 - Humberto Vidal Explosion (San Juan, Puerto Rico,1996)
- 22 - Fireworks factory (Enschede, Netherlands, 2000)
- 21 - Brazilian rocket explosion (Brazil, 2003)
- 7 - Myyrmanni bombing (Finland, 2002), unclear if this was an intentional bombing
Coal mine disasters
- 1,549 - Benxihu Colliery explosion, (China, 1942)
- 1,060 - Coal mine explosion (Courrières, France, 1903)
- 472 - coal mine (Wankie, Rhodesia, 1972)
- 447 - coal mine (Omuta, Japan, 1963)
- 437 - coal mine (Coalbrook, South Africa, 1960)
- 375 - coal mine (Bihar, India, 1965)
- 372 - coal mine (Dhanbad, India, 1975)
- 362 - coal mine (Monongah, West Virginia, 1907)
- 344 - Pretoria Pit Disaster, (Westhoughton, England, 1910)
- 298 - coal mine (Saarland, West Germany, 1962)
- 263 - coal mine (Dawson, New Mexico, 1913)
- 262 - coal mine (Marcinelle, Belgium, 1956)
- 259 - coal mine (Cherry, Illinois, 1909)
- 239 - coal mine (Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania, 1907)
- 236 - coal mine (Fukuoka, Japan, 1965)
- 210 - 2005 Liaoning mine disaster (China, 2005)
- 200 - coal mine (Scofield, Utah, 1900)
- 166 - coal mine (Chenjiashan mine, Shaanxi province, China, 28 Nov 2004)
- 148 - coal mine (Daping mine, Henan province, China, 20 Oct 2004)
- 123 - coal mine (Daxing mine, Guangdong province, China, 6 Aug 2005)
- 83 - coal mine (Fukang city, Xinjiang region, China, 13 Jul 2005)
- 59 - coal mine (Xishui mine, Shanxi province, China, 20 Mar 2005)
- 43 - coal mine (Muchonggou mine, Guizhou province, China, 24 Feb 2003)
Aviation
other than terrorism
- 583 - Tenerife disaster (Tenerife, 1977)
- 520 - Japan Airlines Flight 123, (Japan, 1985)
- 350 - cargo plane crashes on marketplace (Kinshasa, Zaire, 1996)
- 349 - Saudi Arabian Airlines plane collided with a Kazak Airlines plane, (New Delhi, 1996)
- 346 - Turkish Airlines (Paris, 1974)
- 329 - Air India flight 182 (Atlantic Ocean, south of Ireland, 1985)
- 301 - Saudi Arabian Airlines (Jeddah, 1980)
- 290 - Iran Air Flight 655 (Persian Gulf, 1988)
- 276 - Iranian military airplane, (Sirach Mountains, 2003)
- 275 - American Airlines Flight 191 (Chicago, 1979)
- 270 - Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie, 1988)
- 269 - Korean Air Flight 7 (Sakhalin Island, 1983)
- 265 - American Airlines Flight 587, (New York City, 2001)
- 264 - China Airlines (Nagoya, 1994)
- 261 - Haj charter plane (Jedda, 1991)
- 257 - Mount Erebus disaster (Antarctica, 1979)
- 256 - Arrow Air U.S. military charter (Gander, Newfoundland, 1985)
- 230 - TWA Flight 800 (Long Island, 1996)
- 229 - Swissair Flight 111 (Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1998)
- 225 - China Airlines Flight 611 (Penghu Islands, 2002)
- 202 - EgyptAir Flight 990 (Cape Cod, 2001)
- 160 - (China Northwest Airlines; Xian, China, 6 June 1994)
- 160 - West Caribbean Airways Flight 708(Venezuela, 2005)
- 141 - (China Southern Airlines; Guangzhou, China, 24 November 1992)
- 137 - Delta Airlines Flight 191 (Dallas, TX, 1985)
- 128 - (Air China; Pusan, South Korea, 15 April 2002
- 121 - Helios Airways Flight 522 (Greece, 2005)
- 112 - (China Northern MD82; Dalian, China, 7 May 2002)
- 110 - ValuJet Flight 592 (Florida Everglades, 1996)
- 109 - Air France Flight 4590 - Concorde crash (Gonesse, France, 2000)
- 104 - Silkair Flight MI-185 (Sumatra, 1997)
- 99 - TAM Linhas Aéreas's Fokker 100 disaster (São Paulo, Brazil - 1996)
- 83 - Singapore Airlines Flight 006 (Taipei, 2000)
- 78 - Air Florida Flight 90 (Washington, DC, 1982)
- 70 - Ramstein airshow disaster (Germany, 1988)
- 67 - LAPA Airlines Flight 3142 crash, (Argentina, 1999)
- 61 - (China Southwest Airlines; Ruian, China, 24 February 1999)
- 53 - (China Eastern Airlines Flight Mu5210) (Baotou City, China, 21 Nov 2004)
- 35 - Hindenburg disaster (New Jersey, 1937)
- 31 - Superga air disaster (Superga, near Turin, 1949)
Maritime
Wartime ship disasters
- 6,050 - KdF Ship Wilhelm Gustloff, 1945 (sometimes reported as high as 9,343 ? )
- 6,000 - Goya, 1945 (minimum)
- 6,000 - Chinese troopship (near Yingkow, Manchuria, November 1, 1948)
- 5,620 - Junyo Maru, 1944
- 5,400 - Toyama Maru, 1944 (approx.)
- 5,000 - Ukishima Maru, 1945 (approx.)
- 4,650 - Cap Arcona, 1945
- 4,000 - HMT Lancastria, 1940
- 3,000 - SS General von Steuben, 1945
- 3,000 - Yoshida Maru, 1944
- 2,750 - Thielbek, 1945
- 2,571 - M.S. Rigel, 1944
- 2,498 - Yamato, 1945
- 2,097 - DKM Bismarck, 1941
- 2,003 - Awa Maru, 1945
- 2,000 - Ural Maru, 1944 (approx.)
- 2,000 - Josef Stalin, 1941
- 1,932 - Scharnhorst, 1943
- 1,875 - Arisan Maru, 1944
- 1,650 - Taiho, 1944
- 1,529 - Tsushima Maru, 1944
- 1,435 - Shinano, 1944
- 1,414 - HMS Hood, 1941
- 1,400 - Yamashiro, 1944
- 1,400 - Fuso, 1944 (approx.)
- 1,297 - SS Khedive Ismail, 1944
- 1,263 - Shokaku, 1944
- 1,250 - Kongo, 1944
- 1,239 - Unryu, 1944
- 1,209 - Conte Rosso, 1941
- 1,207 - HMS Glorious, 1940
- 1,198 - RMS Lusitania, 1915
- 1,177 - USS Arizona (BB-39), (Pearl Harbor 1941)
- 1,023 - Musashi, 1944
- 1,000 - Tirpitz, 1944
- 946 - Operation Tiger sinkings, (1944)
- 920 - Blücher, 1940
- 883 - USS Indianapolis (CA-35), 1945
- 862 - HMS Barham, 1941
- 843 - Zuikaku, 1944
- 814 - Kaga, 1942
- 718 - Soryu, 1942
- 631 - Shoho, 1942
- 513 - HMS Repulse, 1941
- 380 - Mary Rose (Portsmouth, 1545)
- 338 - HMS Curacao, 1942
- 327 - HMS Prince of Wales, 1941
- 130 - Surcouf accidentally rammed by US merchantman, (Caribbean, 1942)
Peacetime ship disasters
- 1,550–3,000 - Doña Paz, ferry, (Philippines, 1987)
- 1,547 - Sultana, 1865
- 1,517 - RMS Titanic, 1912
- 1,172 - Toya Maru (Tsugaru Straight, 1954)
- 1,100 - Kiangya (Shanghai, December 3, 1948)
- 1,021 - General Slocum, (New York 1904)
- 1,012 - RMS Empress of Ireland, (Saint Lawrence River 1914)
- 1,000 - Joola, (2002)
- 1,000 - Hong Kong (South China Sea, March 18, 1921)
- 852 - MS Estonia, (Baltic Sea 1994)
- 835 - Eastland, (Chicago, 1915)
- 800+ - HMS Royal George (Spithead, 29 August 1782)
- 627 - S/S Norge (Rockall, 28 June 1904)
- 608 - Novorossiysk (Sevastopol, 1955)
- 600 - Princess Alice (Thames, 1878)
- 558 - Principe de Asturias (off Brazil, 1916)
- 546 - RMS Atlantic (Nova Scotia, 1873)
- 450 - HMS Birkenhead (near Cape Town, 1852)
- 400 - Lady Elgin (Chicago, 1860)
- 400 - Cataraqui (King Island, Australia, 1865)
- 358 - HMS Victoria (near Tripoli, Lebanon, 1893)
- 353 - SIEV-X (off Indonesia, 2001)
- 260 - USS Maine (Havana, Cuba, 1898) it is disputed over whether this was accidental or an act of terrorism
- 260 - Earl of Abergavenny (off Portland Bill, 1805)
- 260 - Nuestra Señora de Atocha (Florida Keys, 1622)
- 250+ - Great Lakes Storm of 1913 (Great Lakes basin region, 1913)
- 226 - Ville du Havre (North Atlantic, 1873)
- 200 - SS Victoria (London, Ontario, 1881)
- 185 - Batavia (off Australia, 1629) includes both drowned and murdered
- 193 - Herald of Free Enterprise (English Channel, 1987)
- 170 - Staffordshire (Cape Sable, 1853)
- 158 - Scandinavian Star (Skagerrak, 1990)
- 148 - Medusa (off Senegal, 1816)
- 134 - SS Morro Castle (off Asbury Park, New Jersey, 1934)
- 129 - USS Thresher, (N. Atlantic, 1963)
- 128 - HMS Gladiator (Isle of Wight, 1908)
- 124+ - SS Yongala (Townsville, Australia, 1911)
- 118 - Kursk (2000)
- 99 - USS Scorpion (near Azores, 1968)
- 80 - Pamir (1957)
- 51 - TEV Wahine (Wellington, NZ, 1968)
- 51 - SS Andrea Doria (off Nantucket, Mass. 1956)
- 45 - SS Elingamite (Three Kings Islands, NZ, 1902)
- 36 - FV Gaul (Barents Sea, 1974)
- 35 - HMS Pandora (Torres Strait, 1791)
- 31 - SS Carnatic (Red Sea, 1869)
- 29 - SS Edmund Fitzgerald (Lake Superior, 1975)
- 28 - Soviet submarine K-19 fire 24 February 1972.
- 20 - Ethan Allen (Lake George (New York), 2 October 2005)
- 13 - Essex (South Pacific, 1819)
Space travel
- 7 - Space Shuttle Columbia disaster (United States, 2003)
- 7 - Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (Florida, 1986)
- 3 - Soyuz 11 (space, 1971)
- 3 - Apollo 1 (Florida, 1967)
- 1 - Soyuz 1 (SE of Orenburg, Russia, 1967)
See also List of space disasters
Sporting events
- 100,000–650,000 - Deaths in the Roman Colosseum for public entertainment (Rome, 80–404)
- 1,112 - Upper tier collapse of the Circus Maximus, (Ancient Rome, c.140 AD)
- 604 - Hong Kong Jockey Club Happy Valley Racecourse, stand collapsed and caught fire, 1918. Figure is conservative and found via the Guinness Book of World Records. Most online sources give the death toll as 6,000.
- 340 - Moscow soccer match crush (Moscow, 1982)
- 300 - (estimated) Peru vs. Argentina football game riot (Lima, Peru, May 24, 1964)
- 123 - Hearts of Oak vs. Kumasi Ashanti Kotoko soccer match crush (Accra, Ghana, 2001)
- 96 - Hillsborough disaster crush (England, 1989)
- 84 - Guatemala and Costa Rica soccer match crush (Guatemala City,
- 82 - 24 hours of Le Mans disaster (France, 1955)
- 80 - soccer match crush (Katmandu, Nepal, 1988)
- 72 - River Plate vs Boca Juniors football match, stampede at gate 12 (Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 23, 1968)
- 66 - Second Ibrox disaster crush (Glasgow, 1971)
- 56 - Bradford City soccer stadium fire (Bradford, England, 1985)
- 43 - Ellis Park Stadium Disaster, Johannesburg, South Africa, May 10, 2001
- 39 - Heysel Stadium disaster soccer stadium hooliganism (Bruxelles, Belgium, 1985)
- 26 - First Ibrox disaster, terracing collapse (Glasgow, 1902)
- 21 - Olympiacos stampede at the old Karaiskaki stadium (Piraeus, Greece, 1981)
Industrial accidents
- 15,000+ - Bhopal Disaster India (1984)
- 1,549 - Benxihu Colliery explosion, (China, 1942)
- 568 - Texas City Disaster (Texas, 1947)
- 167 - Piper Alpha oil rig disaster (North Sea, 1988)
- 125 - Buffalo Creek Flood / Pittston Coal Company dam failure, (West Virginia, United States, 1972)
- 105 - mine elevator failure, (South Africa, 1995)
- 21 - Boston Molasses Disaster (Boston, 1919)
Stampedes and Panics
- 4,000 - mass panic at air raid shelter, during Japanese bombing of the city, most deaths caused by suffocation (Chongqing, China, 1941)
- 1,426 - stampede by pilgrims inside a pedestrian tunnel (Mecca, 1990)
- 1,400–2,000 - stampede at coronation of Tsar Nicholas II, (Moscow, 1896)
- 953 - Baghdad bridge stampede, (Baghdad, Iraq, 2005)
- 800 - crowd crush at religious festival (Allahabad, India, 1954)
- 340 - Moscow soccer match crush (Moscow, 1982)
- 270 - stampede at the stoning of the devil ritual (Mecca, 1994)
- 258 - crowd crush at religious festival (Wai, Maharashtra, India, 2005)
- 251 - stampede at the stoning of the devil ritual (Mecca, 2004)
- 173 - Bethnal Green tube station panic (London, 1943)
- 123 - Hearts of Oak vs. Kumasi Ashanti Kotoko soccer match crush (Accra, Ghana, 2001)
- 118 - pilgrims trampled to death (Mecca, 1998)
- 96 - Hillsborough disaster crush (England, 1989)
- 84 - Guatemala and Costa Rica soccer match crush (Guatemala City,
- 72 - River Plate vs Boca Juniors football match, stampede at gate 12 (Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 23, 1968)
- 66 - Second Ibrox disaster crush (Glasgow, 1971)
- 21 - Olympiacos stampede at the old Karaiskaki stadium (Piraeus, Greece, 1981)
Other accidents
- 3,000 - Ryongchon disaster (North Korea, 2004)
- ca. 1,700 "Queen of the Sea" train disaster, Telwatta, Sri Lanka caused by the tsunami created by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
- 1,635 - Halifax Explosion, (Nova Scotia, 1917)
- 800+ - train wreck, (Bihar, India, 1981)
- 436 - Man-eating tigress, (Champawat, India, 1907)
- 151 - Tangiwai train disaster (New Zealand, 1953)
- 144 - Aberfan landslide disaster (Wales, 1966)
- 126 - Nedelin catastrophe, (USSR, 1960)
- 114 - Hyatt Regency walkway collapse, (Kansas City, Missouri, 1981)
- 103 - Amagasaki rail crash, (Japan, 2005)
- 101 - ICE high-speed train disaster, (Germany, 1998)
- 83 - Granville train disaster, Granville, Sydney, Australia
- 75 - Tay Rail Bridge (Scotland, 1879)
- 64 - Sverdlovsk anthrax leak (Soviet Union, 1979)
- 48 - Vostok rocket explosion (Soviet Union, 1980)
- 42 - Cavalese cable-car disaster, (Italy, 1976)
- 21 - Brazilian rocket explosion (Brazil, 2003)
- 20 - Cavalese cable-car disaster, (Italy, 1998) cable severed by United States Marine Corps military aircraft
- 11 - Petrobras 36 Oil Platform explosions (Brazil, 2001)
Nuclear accidents
- 200+ - Mayak nuclear waste storage tank explosion, (Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union, 29 September 1957), figure is a conservative estimate, 270,000 people exposed to dangerous radiation levels. More than 30 small communities had been removed from USSR maps since 1958.
- 31 - Chernobyl accident (Soviet Union, 1986, uncertain number of later casualties from cancer and other radiation-induced sickness.)
- 8 - Soviet submarine K-19 4 July 1961.
- 3 - SL-1 (US Army) 1961.
- 1 - Tokai, Ibaraki nuclear fuel reprocessing plant (Japan, 1986).
See also
- Mass murder | Genocide | Democide
- Mass deaths and atrocities of the twentieth century
- List of wars | List of battles - List of invasions
- List of disasters | List of historic fires
- List of earthquakes | List of notable tropical cyclones
- List of massacres | List of riots
- List of rail accidents
- List of terrorist incidents
- Lists of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
- List of United Kingdom disasters by death toll
- United States casualties of war
- Invasion and occupation of Iraq casualties