Death count |
Event |
Location |
Year |
930,000–2,000,000 |
1887 Yellow River flood |
China |
1887 |
422,499–4,000,000 |
1931 China floods |
China |
1931 |
400,000–893,303 |
1938 Yellow River flood |
China |
1939 |
145,000 |
1935 Yangtze flood |
China |
1935 |
up to 100,000[1][2][3] |
The flood of 1099 |
Netherlands, England |
1099 |
50,000–80,000[2] |
St. Lucia's flood, storm surge |
Holy Roman Empire |
1287 |
0 or 36,000 or 60,000[4] |
North sea flood, storm surge |
Holy Roman Empire |
1212 |
40,000[5] |
1949 Eastern Guatemalan floods |
Guatemala |
1949 |
36,000 |
First St. Marcellus flood, storm surge |
Holy Roman Empire |
1219 |
33,000 |
1954 Yangtze River floods |
China |
1954 |
27,000–1,500,000 |
1974 Bangladesh flood due to monsoon rain |
Bangladesh |
1974 |
26,000–240,000 |
1975 Banqiao Dam failure and floods |
China |
1975 |
25,000–40,000 |
St. Marcellus flood / Grote Mandrenke, storm tide |
Holy Roman Empire, Denmark |
1362 |
20,000–25,000 |
All Saints' Flood, storm surge |
Holy Roman Empire |
1570 |
20,000 |
1939 Tianjin flood[citation needed] |
China |
1939 |
15,000[6] |
1705 Po valley flood |
Italy |
1705 |
14,000 |
Christmas flood, storm surge |
Netherlands, Germany, Denmark |
1717 |
11,498+ |
Storm Daniel |
Libya, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Egypt |
2023 |
10,000–100,000[1][2][3] |
St. Elizabeth's flood, storm surge |
Holy Roman Empire |
1421 |
10,000–30,000 |
1999 Vargas mudslide |
Venezuela |
1999 |
8,000–15,000 |
Burchardi flood |
Germany, Denmark |
1634 |
7,000[6] |
1557 Palermo flood |
Sicily |
1557 |
6,200[citation needed] |
Sichuan, Hubei, Anhui flood |
China |
1980 |
6,054 |
2013 North India floods |
India |
2013 |
5,154 (official)[citation needed] |
1963 Great Hai River flood |
China |
1963 |
5,000–10,000[citation needed] |
Rajasthan flood |
India |
1943 |
5,000[citation needed] |
Lake Palcacocha in the Cojup valley, Cordillera Blanca mountain range, landslide by massive avalanche |
Peru |
1941 |
4,892[5] |
1968 Rajasthan, Gujarat monsoon rain |
India |
1968 |
4,800[citation needed] |
1951 Manchuria flood |
China |
1951 |
4,000[6] |
1610 Tanaro River flood |
Italy |
1610 |
3,838[citation needed] |
1998 Eastern India, Bangladesh monsoon rain |
India, Bangladesh |
1998 |
3,814[citation needed] |
1989 Sichuan flood |
China |
1989 |
3,800[citation needed] |
1978 Northern India monsoon rain |
India |
1978 |
3,656[citation needed] |
1998 Yangtze river flood |
China |
1998 |
3,500[citation needed] |
1948 Fuzhou flood |
China |
1948 |
3,189+ |
2010 China floods, landslides |
China, North Korea |
2010 |
3,083[7] |
1993 South Asian Monsoon Flood |
Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan |
1993 |
3,076[citation needed] |
2004 Eastern India, Bangladesh monsoon rain |
India, Bangladesh |
2004 |
3,000[6] |
1530 Tiber River flood |
Italy |
1530 |
3,000[6] |
1598 Tiber River flood |
Italy |
1598 |
3,000[citation needed] |
1992 Afghanistan flood, mainly, Gulbahar, Kalotak, Shutul, Parwan, flash flood, mudslide |
Afghanistan |
1992 |
2,910[citation needed] |
1950 Pakistan flood |
Pakistan |
1950 |
2,828+ |
2011 Southeast Asian floods |
Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia |
2011 |
2,775[citation needed] |
1996 China flood, torrential floods, mud-rock flows |
China |
1996 |
2,566 |
1953 Japan flood (1953 Northern Kyushu flood and 1953 Wakayama flood), mainly Kitakyushu, Kumamoto, Wakayama, Kizugawa, massive rain, flood, mudslide |
Japan |
1953 |
2,400[citation needed] |
North Sea flood, storm surge |
Netherlands |
838 |
2,379[citation needed] |
1988 Bangladesh monsoon rain |
Bangladesh |
1988 |
2,209 |
Johnstown Flood |
United States (Pennsylvania) |
1889 |
2,142 |
North Sea flood of 1953 storm surge |
Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium |
1953 |
2,075[citation needed] |
1981 Sichuan, Shanxi flood |
China |
1981 |
2,055[citation needed] |
1987 Bangladesh monsoon rain |
Bangladesh |
1987 |
several thousands[citation needed] |
North Sea flood, storm surge |
Holy Roman Empire |
1014 |
several thousands[citation needed] |
St. Juliana flood, storm surge |
Holy Roman Empire |
1164 |
several thousands[citation needed] |
St. Agatha flood, storm surge |
Holy Roman Empire |
1288 |
several thousands[citation needed] |
St. Clemens flood, storm surge |
Holy Roman Empire |
1334 |
several thousands |
St. Mary Magdalene's flood |
Central Europe |
1342 |
several thousands[citation needed] |
All Saints flood, storm surge |
Holy Roman Empire |
1532 |
several thousands[citation needed] |
North Sea flood, storm surge |
Netherlands |
1703 |
2,000–10,000 |
Great Iran Flood |
Iran |
1954 |
2,000–5,0001 |
Morvi dam burst |
India (Morvi, Gujarat) |
1979 |
2,000–3,000[citation needed] |
Mostaganem and Oran flood |
Algeria |
1927 |
2,000+ |
Bristol Channel floods |
England and Wales; possible tsunami |
1607 |
2,000+ |
May 2004 Caribbean floods |
Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cuba, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands |
2004 |
1,985 |
Pakistan floods, monsoon flooding[8][9][10][11] |
Pakistan |
2010 |
1,921[5][6] |
Vajont Dam landslide and flood |
Italy |
1963 |
1,834[citation needed] |
1992 Pakistan, Northern India monsoon rain |
Pakistan, India |
1992 |
1,739[12] |
2022 Pakistan floods |
Pakistan |
2022 |
1,723[citation needed] |
1991 China flood, mainly, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei, torrential floods, mud-rock flows |
China |
1991 |
1,700[citation needed] |
1955 Northern India flood |
India |
1955 |
1,624[citation needed] |
Fujian, Anhui, Zhejiang flood |
China |
2005 |
1,605–3,363[citation needed] |
spring flooding |
Haiti, Dominican Republic |
2004 |
1,558 |
St. Martin flood, storm surge |
Netherlands |
1686 |
1,532[citation needed] |
2002 China flood, torrential floods, mud-rock flows |
China |
2002 |
1,503[citation needed] |
Mumbai and the surrounding state Maharashtra, Karnataka, monsoon rain in 2005 |
India |
2005 |
1,437[citation needed] |
1995 China flood, mainly, Hunan, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Sichuan, Fujian, torrential rain, devastating floods, mud-rock flows |
China |
1995 |
1,348 |
2007 China flood, mountain torrents, mud-rock flows |
China |
2007 |
1,268 |
Floods caused by Tropical Storm Washi[13] |
Philippines |
2011 |
1,029 |
2004 China flood, mountain torrents, mud-rock flows, landslide |
China |
2004 |
1,000–8,000 |
2016 Indian floods by monsoon rain |
India |
2016 |
1,000[citation needed] |
1961 Bihar flood |
India |
1961 |
992 |
1957 Isahaya flood, massive rain and mudslide |
Japan |
1957 |
941 |
Inuyama Iruka pond dam failure |
Japan |
1868 |
933 |
1938 Hanshin flood, mainly Tokyo, Kobe, massive rain and landslide |
Japan |
1938 |
915 |
Barcelona, flash flood |
Spain |
1962 |
903 |
January 2011 Rio de Janeiro floods and mudslides |
Brazil |
2011 |
848 |
1977 Karachi flood |
Pakistan |
1977 |
844 |
2006 North Korean floods |
North Korea |
2006 |
827 |
Algiers, Bab El Oued, devastating flood, mudslide |
Algeria |
2001 |
800 |
North Sea flood, storm surge |
Netherlands |
1825 |
800 |
2000 Mozambique flood |
Mozambique |
2000 |
705 |
2006 Ethiopia flood, mainly Omo River Delta, Dire Dawa, Tena, Gode, flash flood, heavyrain |
Ethiopia |
2006 |
677 |
2009 August 8 flood, due to Typhoon Morakot, An entire village of Shiaolin was buried at the southern county of Kaohsiung |
Taiwan |
2009 |
672 |
1972 Seoul flood |
South Korea |
1972 |
653 |
1972 Luzon flood |
Philippines |
1972 |
640 |
1987 Villatina landslide disaster |
Colombia |
1987 |
610 |
2007 North Korean floods |
North Korea |
2007 |
595 |
1999 Vietnamese floods |
Vietnam |
1999 |
594 |
Hanoi and Red River Delta flood |
North Vietnam |
1971 |
540 |
1969 Tunisia flooding |
Tunisia |
1969 |
532 |
Cuzco, Huallaga, torrential rain, flooding, landslide |
Peru |
1982 |
517 |
1967 Massive rain of Japan, mainly, Kobe, Kure, Agano River, massive rain and landslide |
Japan |
1967 |
506 |
KwaZulu-Natal |
South Africa |
1987 |
1678 |
The flood of Chile |
500 |
Malawi, flash flood and landslide |
Malawi |
1991 |
500 |
Gauldal, landslide |
Norway |
1345 |
500[14] |
2018 East Africa floods |
Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Somalia |
2018 |
483 |
2018 Kerala floods |
India |
2018 |
464 |
Lisbon flash flood |
Portugal |
1967 |
449+ |
2016 China floods |
China |
2016 |
445 |
Western Japan, massive rains and landslides |
Japan |
1972 |
437 |
1967 Brazil flood, mainly Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, flood and landslide |
Brazil |
1967 |
431 |
St. Francis Dam failure |
United States (California) |
1928 |
431 |
2015 Tamil Nadu floods Chennai, Cuddalore and Andhra Pradesh named 2015 South Indian floods |
India |
2015 |
429 |
2002 Nepal flood, mainly occurred at Makwanpur, monssnal rain, flood, landslide |
Nepal |
2002 |
425 |
October 1999 Mexico floods, mainly occurred at Tabasco, Puebla, Chiapas, flood and mudslide as a result from Tropical Depression Eleven |
Mexico |
1999 |
421 |
Malpasset Dam failure |
France |
1959 |
420 |
St. Aarons Flood |
Amsterdam |
1420 |
408 |
1969 South Korea flood, mainly, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, Gangwon-do, torrential rain, landslide |
South Korea |
1969 |
407 |
1993 Iran flood, mainly occurred at Isfahan, Bandar Abass, flash flood and landslide |
Iran |
1993 |
405 |
1998 South Korea flood, heavy massive rain, landslide |
South Korea |
1998 |
400 |
1955 Lebanon Tripoli flood |
Lebanon |
1955 |
386 |
Thailand, Malaysia, mainly, Nakhon, Songkhla, Kelantan, torrential rain |
Thailand, Malaysia |
1988 |
385+ |
Wayanad, Kerala, India |
Chooral Mala Landslide |
2024 |
385 |
Ohio River flood of 1937 |
United States (Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois) |
1937 |
373 |
1966 Rio de Janeiro flood, flood and landslide |
Brazil |
1966 |
364 |
Piura, Tumbes, torrential rain, flooding, landslide |
Peru |
1983 |
360+ |
Great Dayton Flood |
United States |
1913 |
360 |
1958 Buenos Aires flood |
Argentina |
1958 |
356+[6][15] |
1923 Gleno Dam failure |
Italy |
1923 |
353 |
2007 African Nations flood |
mainly Sudan, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, and many African country |
2007 |
347 |
1996 Yemen flood |
Yemen |
1996 |
345 |
1987 South Korea flood, mainly, Chungchongnam-do, Jeollanam-do, Kangwon, torrential rain, landslide |
South Korea |
1987 |
342 |
2006 East African Flood |
Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia |
2006 |
315 |
North Sea flood of 1962 storm tide |
Germany |
1962 |
313 |
2003 Sumatra flood, mainly Jambi, Batanghari, Tondano, torrential rain, flash flood, landslide |
Indonesia |
2003 |
302 |
2021 Henan floods |
China |
2021 |
300[6] |
1584 Tanaro River flood |
Italy |
1584 |
300 |
Flood in Miskolc, 1878 |
Miskolc, Hungary |
1878 |
300 |
Pampayacta avalanche |
Peru |
1963 |
300 |
Quebrada Blanca canyon, landslide |
Colombia |
1974 |
299 |
1982 Nagasaki flood |
Japan |
1982 |
290 |
Rio de Janeiro and Fluminense flood |
Brazil |
1988 |
272 |
1973 Granada, Almeria, Murcia flood |
Spain |
1973 |
270 |
Great Sheffield flood dam disaster |
United Kingdom |
1864 |
268 |
Val di Stava dam disaster |
Italy |
1985 |
259 |
1966 Maian flood |
Jordan |
1966 |
255 |
1998 Tajikistan flood |
Tajikistan |
1998 |
251 |
2021 Maharashtra floods |
India |
2021 |
250 |
La Josefina landslide dam failure |
Ecuador |
1993 |
246+ |
April 2010 Rio de Janeiro floods and mudslides |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
2010 |
246 |
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 |
United States (Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas) |
1927 |
242 |
2021 European floods |
Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Romania, Czech Republic, Croatia |
2021 |
240 |
2017 Gujarat flood |
Gujarat and Rajasthan, India |
2017 |
238 |
Black Hills flood |
United States |
1972 |
235–244 |
2009 Philippine Floods[16] |
Philippines |
2009 |
233 |
2020 Central Vietnam floods |
Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos |
2020 |
230 |
Marrakesh flash flood |
Morocco |
1995 |
228 |
2007 Balochistan flood by Cyclone Yemyin |
Pakistan |
2007 |
223 |
2012 North Korean floods |
North Korea |
2012 |
225 |
2018 Japan floods |
Japan |
2018 |
203+ |
2017 China floods |
China |
2017 |
200–600 |
1824 St. Petersburg flood |
Russia |
1824 |
200–600 |
Chungar landslide, flood, avalanche |
Peru |
1971 |
200+ |
2008 South China floods |
South China |
2008 |
200 |
Pamir Mountain area, mud and rock slides, torrential rain |
Tajikistan |
1992 |
199 |
Santa Catarina, Tubarão, torrential heavy rain |
Brazil |
1974 |
199 |
2009 El Salvador floods and mudslides |
El Salvador |
2009 |
190 |
Huigra, landslide |
Ecuador |
1931 |
187 |
Ulaanbaatar-Tov area, heavy rain, mostly during August |
Mongolia |
1982 |
182 |
Rio Grande do Sul floods |
Brazil |
2024 |
172 |
2012 Russian floods |
Krymsk |
2012 |
165 |
2004 Brazil flood, mainly São Paulo, Pemambuco, torrential rain, mudslide |
Brazil |
2004 |
159 |
Sarno flood and landslide |
Italy |
1998 |
154 |
KwaZulu-Natal |
South Africa |
1995 |
141+ |
2010–2011 Southern Africa floods |
Africa |
2011 |
140+ |
2019 Pakistan floods and storms |
Pakistan |
2019 |
139 |
Mill River (Northampton, Massachusetts) |
United States |
1874 |
138 |
2010 Colombia floods |
Colombia |
2010 |
135 |
Ozengeli, avalanche |
Turkey |
1993 |
128 |
Izumo, massive rain and mudslide |
Japan |
1964 |
125+ |
2010 Leh floods |
Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan/India |
2010 |
123 |
2009 Jeddah Torrential rain, floods |
Saudi Arabia |
2009 |
121 |
1986 Northern Vietnam floods |
Vietnam |
1986 |
120 |
1991 Antofagasta Flood, mud swept |
Chile |
1991 |
119 |
2007 Central and East Java torrential monsoon rain, landslide, flood |
Indonesia |
2007 |
117 |
Masuda, massive rain and landslide |
Japan |
1983 |
115 |
Los Angeles flood of 1938 |
United States |
1938 |
114 |
1990 South Korea flood, Seoul, Inchon, heavy rain |
South Korea |
1990 |
113 |
2019 Jayapura flood and landslide |
Indonesia |
2019 |
113 |
2021 Afghanistan flood, 2021 Nuristan floods |
Afghanistan |
2021 |
110 |
Southern Federal District, heavy rain, landslide[17] |
Russia |
2002 |
106 |
1997 Central European flood |
Poland, Czech Republic |
1997 |
104 |
1981 Laingsburg flood |
South Africa |
1981 |
101 |
2013 Argentina floods |
Argentina |
2013 |
101 |
2016 Sri Lankan floods |
Sri Lanka |
2016 |
100+ |
2023 North India floods |
India |
2023 |
100 |
2008 Vietnam floods |
Vietnam, China |
2008 |
94 |
The Mameyes disaster |
Puerto Rico (Ponce) |
1985 |
90+ |
Columbus, Ohio flood on March 25, 1913 |
United States |
1913 |
86 |
"Las Nieves" camping river flood, in Biescas. |
Spain |
1996 |
85+ |
January 2010 Rio de Janeiro floods and mudslides |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
2010 |
81+ |
Valencia flood |
Valencia, Spain |
1957 |
81 |
Holmfirth floods—Bilberry Reservoir dam failure |
United Kingdom |
1852 |
81 |
2021 Turkey floods |
Turkey |
2021 |
80–100[18] |
1852 Gundagai flood |
Australia |
1852 |
80+ |
2014 Southeast Europe floods |
Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia |
2014 |
80[19] |
1988 Sudan floods |
Sudan |
1988 |
80 |
Failure of Laurel Run Dam and flash flooding, Johnstown, Pennsylvania |
United States |
1977 |
78 |
Austin Dam failure |
United States |
1911 |
77+ |
2019 Iran floods |
Iran |
2019 |
73 |
1993 Kagoshima Heavy Rain, mudslide and debris flow |
Japan |
1993 |
72+ |
Nigeria floods |
Nigeria |
2012 |
72 |
Gudbrandsdalen flood and landslides |
Norway |
1789 |
69 |
2005 levee failures in Greater New Orleans |
United States |
2005 |
68 |
2019 South Sulawesi floods |
Indonesia |
2019 |
67 |
2003 Santa Fe flood |
Argentina |
2003 |
66 |
2020 Jakarta floods |
Indonesia |
2020 |
62 |
2021 Niger floods |
Niger |
2021 |
61[20] |
Clermont and Peak Downs flood |
Australia |
1916 |
The only floods listed are ones that caused 10 or more fatalities in the 21st century.