These are the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, and the US isn’t spared

Earthquakes are unlike any other natural disaster: they strike suddenly, with no forecast and little warning. Some countries, though, sit right on the planet’s pressure points, where tectonic plates grind and slip with relentless force.

Where do most earthquakes occur?

The infamous “Ring of Fire” – a sweeping arc around the Pacific Ocean – is home to most of the world’s seismic hotspots. Japan, scarred by the 2011 Tōhoku disaster, is one of the most closely monitored. Indonesia, spread across fault-lined islands, suffers frequent shocks, while Turkey and Iran endure quakes that have historically killed tens of thousands.

But what does it mean to ask which country has the most earthquakes? The US Geological Survey says the answer depends on how you frame the question:

• Most recorded quakes: Japan, thanks to dense monitoring
• Most quakes overall: Indonesia, by sheer size and activity
• Most quakes per square mile: small Pacific nations like Tonga or Fiji
• Most catastrophic quakes: China, Iran, and Turkey, given long records of devastation

The United States also makes the top 10. California’s San Andreas Fault dominates headlines, but Alaska (remember 1964) actually records the nation’s biggest quakes, a reminder that Americans aren’t immune when the ground decides to move.

Top 10 earthquake-prone countries

1. Japan

2. Indonesia

3. Nepal

4. Turkey

5. Iran

6. Mexico

7. Philippines

8. Chile

9. China

10. United States

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