UHND.com - Notre Dame Football, Basketball, & Recruiting

Log in

Sign up for free
You said:
Can you list deaths by flood by decade?
ChatGPT said:
Sure! Here's a general historical overview of global deaths by floods by decade, based on recorded major flood disasters. Keep in mind:

Historical data becomes less complete and less accurate the further back you go.

Numbers can vary depending on sources and criteria (e.g., whether deaths from related disease, famine, or displacement are included).

This list focuses on notable flood-related fatalities from natural floods (rivers, monsoons, dam failures, tsunamis, etc.), not urban flash flooding only.

Flood Deaths by Decade (Estimates & Notable Events)
1900s
~100,000+ deaths

Major events:

1900 Galveston hurricane storm surge (~8,000–12,000 deaths).

1908 China flood (Huai River): ~100,000 deaths (est.).

1910s
~150,000+ deaths

1911 Yangtze River flood (China): ~100,000 deaths.

1916 China flood: ~100,000 (may overlap with other event data).

1920s
~200,000+ deaths

1925 China flood: ~200,000 deaths.

1930s
~3.7–4 million deaths

1931 China floods (Yangtze, Huai, Yellow Rivers): 2–4 million deaths — deadliest flood disaster in history.

1935 Yangtze flood: ~145,000 deaths.

1938 Yellow River flood (intentional dike destruction): ~500,000–800,000 deaths.

1940s
~200,000+ deaths

1942 China flood: ~200,000 deaths.

Data obscured by World War II impacts.

1950s
~300,000+ deaths

1954 Yangtze flood: ~33,000–40,000 deaths.

1959 Typhoon Vera (Japan): flooding + storm surge killed ~5,000.

1960s
~100,000+ deaths

1965 India flood (Dhanbad): ~200+ deaths.

1963 Vajont Dam disaster (Italy): ~2,000 deaths (technological failure-induced flood).

1966 Florence flood (Italy), less fatal but historically notable.

1970s
~500,000+ deaths

1974 Bangladesh flood (and cyclone): ~28,000 deaths.

1975 Banqiao Dam failure (China): ~85,000–230,000 deaths.

1980s
~100,000+ deaths

1988 Bangladesh flood: ~2,000 deaths, 25 million displaced.

1990s
~100,000+ deaths

1991 China flooding: ~3,000+ deaths.

1998 China Yangtze flood: ~3,700 deaths.

Bangladesh floods, Sudan, and Central America also had high casualties.

2000s
~250,000+ deaths

2004 Indian Ocean tsunami (technically seismic, but major flood impact): ~230,000–280,000 deaths across 14 countries.

2008 Indian monsoon floods: ~1,000+ deaths.

2010s
~100,000+ deaths

2010 Pakistan floods: ~2,000 deaths, 20 million affected.

2014 Southeast Europe floods, 2015 Myanmar floods.

Floods increasingly associated with climate change and urbanization.

2020s (so far, up to mid-2025)
~20,000–30,000+ deaths (ongoing data)

2020 Kerala, India: heavy floods.

2021 Germany/Belgium floods: ~230+ deaths.

2022 Pakistan floods: ~1,700+ deaths.

2023 Libya (Derna dam collapse): ~11,000–20,000 deaths.

2024–2025 events are still being tallied.

Summary Table
Decade Estimated Deaths (approx.)
1900s 100,000+
1910s 150,000+
1920s 200,000+
1930s 3.7–4 million
1940s 200,000+
1950s 300,000+
1960s 100,000+
1970s 500,000+
1980s 100,000+
1990s 100,000+
2000s 250,000+
2010s 100,000+
2020s 20,000–30,000+ (so far)