# The deadliest pandemics in history

From the Black Death to the Spanish flu, HIV/AIDS and COVID-19: the great outbreaks that struck humanity and their estimated death tolls, according to Our World in Data and others.

- 8 votes · 12 items
- Apr 2, 2024 · 加藤 浩二
- https://even.best/en/l/2537/the-deadliest-pandemics-in-history

## Top 12

1. **The Black Death (1346–1353)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The plague that is thought to have killed around half of Europe's population.
2. **The Spanish flu (1918–1920)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The influenza that killed an estimated 50 to 100 million people.
3. **Smallpox** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — It killed about 300 million people in the 20th century alone and was eradicated in 1980.
4. **The Plague of Justinian (541–549)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The first great plague pandemic, which struck the Byzantine Empire.
5. **The Asian flu (1957)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — About 2 million deaths.
6. **Swine flu (2009)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — The outbreak caused by the H1N1 virus of swine origin.
7. **Diseases in the Americas after 1492** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Diseases brought by Europeans devastated the native peoples of the Americas.
8. **HIV/AIDS (1981–)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — More than 30 million deaths so far.
9. **COVID-19 (2020–)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Excess deaths are estimated in the tens of millions.
10. **The Russian flu (1889)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Thought to have killed about 4 million people.
11. **The Hong Kong flu (1968)** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — About 2 million deaths.
12. **Cholera (seventh pandemic, 1961–)** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — The cholera pandemic that is still going on.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.