Only earthquakes of magnitude 6 or above are included, unless they result in damage and/or casualties, or are notable for some other reason.

This year was dominated by the earthquake in Nepal in April, with around 9,000 deaths.

Another deadly event struck Afghanistan, while the strongest quake (8.3) took place in Chile, like in 2014.

Malaysia was struck by a 6.0 earthquake which killed 18 climbers including Singaporean students.

Population increase, habitation spread, and advances in earthquake detection technology all contribute to higher earthquake numbers being recorded over time.