List of deadliest floods

This is a list of the deadliest floods worldwide, with a minimum of 60 deaths.

List

Deaths Event Location Year1,000,000–2,000,000 1887 Yellow River flood China 1887 422,000–2,000,000 1931 China floods China 1931 470,000–500,000 1938 Yellow River flood China 1938 300,000–500,000 1970 Bhola cyclone East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) 1970 145,000 1935 Yangtze flood China 1935 100,000+ St. Felix's flood Netherlands 1530 up to 100,000 The flood of 1099 Netherlands, England 1099 50,000–80,000 St. Lucia's flood, storm surge Netherlands and Northern Germany 1287 0 or 36,000 or 60,000 North sea flood, storm surge Holy Roman Empire 1212 40,000 1949 Eastern Guatemalan floods Guatemala 1949 25,000+ First St. Marcellus's flood, storm surge Holy Roman Empire 1219 33,000 1954 Yangtze 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's flood (), storm tide Holy Roman Empire, Denmark 1362 20,000–25,000 All Saints' Flood, storm surge Holy Roman Empire, Netherlands 1570 20,000 1939 Tianjin flood China 1939 15,000 1705 Po Valley flood Po Valley, 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 St. Elizabeth's flood, storm surge Holy Roman Empire 1421 10,000–30,000 1999 Vargas mudslide Venezuela 1999 9,887–30,000 1999 Odisha cyclone, storm surge India (Odisha), Myanmar, Bangladesh 1999 8,000–15,000 Burchardi flood Germany, Denmark 1634 7,000 1557 Palermo flood Sicily 1557 6,511 2020 South Asian floods Afghanistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka 2020 6,200 Sichuan, Hubei, Anhui flood China 1980 6,054 2013 North India floods India 2013 6,000-12,000 1900 Galveston hurricane United States 1900 5,154 (official) 1963 Great Hai River flood Hai River, China 1963 5,000–10,000 Rajasthan flood India 1943 5,000 Lake Palcacocha in the Cojup valley, Cordillera Blanca mountain range, landslide by massive avalanche Peru 1941 4,892 1968 Rajasthan, Gujarat monsoon rain India 1968 4,800 1951 Manchuria flood China 1951 4,000 1610 Tanaro River flood Italy 1610 3,838 1998 Eastern India, 1998 Bangladesh flood India, Bangladesh 1998 3,814 1989 Sichuan flood China 1989 3,800 1978 Northern India monsoon rain India 1978 3,656 1998 Yangtze river flood China 1998 3,500 1948 Fuzhou flood China 1948 3,189+ 2010 China floods, landslides China, North Korea 2010 3,083 1993 South Asian monsoon floods Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan 19935,951+ (confirmed)Storm DanielGreece, Libya, Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Israel2023 3,076 2004 Eastern India, Bangladesh monsoon rain India, Bangladesh 2004 3,000 1530 Tiber River flood Italy 1530 3,000 1598 Tiber River flood Italy 1598 3,000 1992 Afghanistan flood, mainly, Gulbahar, Kalotak, Shutul, Parwan, flash flood, mudslide Afghanistan 1992 2,910 1950 Pakistan flood Pakistan 1950 2,828+ 2011 Southeast Asian floods Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia 2011 2,775 1996 China flood, torrential floods, mud-rock flows China 1996 2,566 1953 Japan floods (1953 Northern Kyushu flood and 1953 Wakayama flood), massive rain, flood, mudslides mainly Kitakyushu, Kumamoto, Wakayama, and Kizugawa, Japan 1953 2,400 North Sea flood, storm surge Netherlands 838 2,379 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 1981 Sichuan, Shanxi flood China 1981 2,055 1987 Bangladesh monsoon rain Bangladesh 1987 several thousands North Sea flood, storm surge Holy Roman Empire 1014 several thousands St. Juliana flood, storm surge Holy Roman Empire 1164 several thousands St. Agatha flood, storm surge Holy Roman Empire 1288 several thousands St. Clemens flood, storm surge Holy Roman Empire 1334 several thousands St. Mary Magdalene's flood Central Europe 1342 several thousands All Saints flood, storm surge Holy Roman Empire 1532 several thousands North Sea flood, storm surge Netherlands 1703 2,000–10,000 Great Iran Flood Iran 1954 2,000–5,000 1979 Machchhu dam failure India (Morvi, Gujarat) 1979 2,000–3,000 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 2010 Pakistan floods, monsoon flooding Pakistan 2010 1,921 Vajont Dam landslide and flood Italy 1963 1,834 1992 Pakistan, Northern India monsoon rain Pakistan, India 1992 1,739 2022 Pakistan floods Pakistan 2022 1,723 1991 China flood, mainly, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei, torrential floods, mud-rock flows China 1991 1,700 1955 Northern India flood India 1955 1,624 Fujian, Anhui, Zhejiang flood China 2005 1,605–3,363 spring flooding Haiti, Dominican Republic 2004 1,558 St. Martin flood, storm surge Netherlands 1686 1,532 2002 China flood, torrential floods, mud-rock flows China 2002 1,503 Mumbai and the surrounding state Maharashtra, Karnataka, monsoon rain in 2005 India 20051,494+2026 Nepal–Tibet floodsNepal, Tibet2026 1,437 1995 China flood, mainly, Hunan, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Sichuan, Fujian, torrential rain, devastating floods, mud-rock flows China 1995 1,392 Hurricane Katrina, storm surge and levee failure United States 2005 1,348 2007 China flood, mountain torrents, mud-rock flows China 2007 1,268 Floods caused by Tropical Storm Washi Philippines 2011 1,201+ 2025 Sumatra floods and landslides Indonesia 2025 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 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, and Gode, flash floods, heavy rain Ethiopia 2006 677 August 8 2009 flood due to Typhoon Morakot; an entire village of Shiaolin was buried in the southern county of Kaohsiung Taiwan 2009 672 1972 Seoul flood South Korea 1972 653 1972 Luzon flood Philippines 1972 650 Great Flood of 1913 United States 1913 647 Cyclone Ditwah Sri Lanka and India 2025 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 500 Malawi, flash flood and landslide Malawi 1991 500 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 floodsChina2016 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, monsoon 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. Aaron's Flood Amsterdam 1420 415+ 2024 Nigeria floods Nigeria 2024 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 Abbas, 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, and 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+ 1923 Gleno Dam failure Italy 1923 353 2007 African Nations flood mainly Sudan, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, and other African countries 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+ 2024 Nepal floods Nepal 2024 300 1584 Tanaro River flood Italy 1584 300 1878 flood in Miskolc Miskolc, Hungary 1878 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 243 2021 European floods Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Romania, Czech Republic, Croatia 2021 240-248 2024 Spanish floods Province of Valencia, Spain 2024 2402017 Gujarat floodGujarat and Rajasthan, India2017 238 Black Hills flood United States 1972 235–244 2009 Philippine Floods Philippines 2009 233 2020 Central Vietnam floods Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos2020 232 2002 European floods Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, Ukraine 2002 230 Marrakesh flash flood Morocco 1995 228 2007 Balochistan flood by Cyclone Yemyin Pakistan 2007 225 2018 Japan floods Japan 2018 223 2012 North Korean floods North Korea 2012 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 2024 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 136+ July 2025 Central Texas floods United States 2025 133-196 1957 Ankara flood Turkey 1957 128 Izumo, massive rain and mudslide Japan 1