The 35 Deadliest Tropical Cyclones in World History
| Rank | Name / Areas of Largest Loss | Year | Ocean Area | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Great Bhola Cyclone, Bangladesh | 1970 (Nov 12) | Bay of Bengal | 300,000 - 500,000 |
| 2. | Hooghly River Cyclone, India and Bangladesh | 1737 | Bay of Bengal | 300,000 |
| 3. | Haiphong Typhoon, Vietnam | 1881 | West Pacific | 300,000 |
| 4. | Coringa, India | 1839 | Bay of Bengal | 300,000 |
| 5. | Backerganj Cyclone, Bangladesh | 1584 | Bay of Bengal | 200,000 |
| 6. | Great Backerganj Cyclone, Bangladesh | 1876 | Bay of Bengal | 200,000 |
| 7. | Chittagong, Bangladesh | 1897 | Bay of Bengal | 175,000 |
| 8. | Super Typhoon Nina, China | 1975 (Aug 5) | West Pacific | 171,000 |
| 9. | Cyclone 02B, Bangladesh | 1991 (May 5) | Bay of Bengal | 138,866 |
| 10. | Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar | 2008 (May 3) | Bay of Bengal | 138,366 |
| 11. | Swatlow, China | 1922 (Jul 27) | West Pacific | 100,000 |
| 12. | Great Bombay Cyclone, India | 1882 | Arabian Sea | 100,000 |
| 13. | Hakata Bay Typhoon, Japan | 1281 | West Pacific | 65,000 |
| 14. | Bangladesh | 1942 (Oct 14) | Bay of Bengal | 61,000 |
| 15. | India | 1935 | Bay of Bengal | 60,000 |
| 16. | Calcutta, India | 1864 | Bay of Bengal | 60,000 |
| 17. | Barisal, Bangladesh | 1822 | Bay of Bengal | 50,000 |
| 18. | Sunderbans coast, Bangladesh | 1699 | Bay of Bengal | 50,000 |
| 19. | India | 1833 | Bay of Bengal | 50,000 |
| 20. | India | 1854 | Bay of Bengal | 50,000 |
| 21. | Wenchou, China | 1912 (Aug) | West Pacific | 50,000 |
| 22. | Bengal Cyclone, Calcutta, India | 1942 | Bay of Bengal | 40,000 |
| 23. | Bangladesh | 1912 | Bay of Bengal | 40,000 |
| 24. | Bangladesh | 1919 | Bay of Bengal | 40,000 |
| 25. | Canton, China | 1862 | West Pacific | 37,000 |
| 26. | Bangladesh | 1965 (May 11) | Bay of Bengal | 36,000 |
| 27. | Backerganj (Barisal), Bangladesh | 1767 | Bay of Bengal | 30,000 |
| 28. | Barisal, Bangladesh | 1831 | Bay of Bengal | 22,000 |
| 29. | Great Hurricane, Lesser Antilles Islands | 1780 | Atlantic | 22,000 |
| 30. | Chittagong, Bangladesh | 1963 (May 28) | Bay of Bengal | 22,000 |
| 31. | Great Coringa Cyclone, India | 1789 | Bay of Bengal | 20,000 |
| 32. | Nagasaki Typhoon, Japan | 1828 | Western Pacific | 15,000 |
| 33. | Urir, Bangladesh | 1985 (May 28) | Bay of Bengal | 15,000 |
| 33. | Tacloban, Philippines | November 1912 | Western Pacific | 15,000 |
| 35. | Devi Taluk, SE India | 1977 (Nov 12) | Bay of Bengal | 14,204 |
| 36. | Bangladesh | 1965 (May 31) | Bay of Bengal | 12,047 |
Death counts from large killer cyclones are highly uncertain, particulary for those before 1900. The above rankings are somewhat speculative. Information sources: EM-DAT, the International Disaster Database; Banglapedia, Wikipedia, Climate change impacts and adaptation assessment in Bangladesh" by Anwar Ali, the Philippine Star, and Encyclopedia of Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones (1999), by David Longshore.