Which volcano has killed the most people?

Tambora Volcano, Image Courtesy of NASA.

The eruption of Tambora in Indonesia in 1815 killed the most people.  It was a huge eruption that sent ash into the stratosphere that then spread around the world.  World climate was noticeably cooler the following year, and in places it was called “the year without a summer.”

Enormous volumes of pyroclastic flow followed by caldera collapse created an up to 10m wall of water that devastated the Indonesian shoreline.   As many as 10,000 deaths are attributed to the resulting tsunami.   Thousands more died due to the destruction of crops and livestock, disease, contamination of water, etc., tens of thousands more died in the years that followed.  Overall as many as 92,000 deaths were attributed to this eruption.

Below is a chart of all eruptions with more than 500 known fatalities:

Deaths Attributed	Volcano	Year	Major Cause of Death
92,000	Tambora, Indonesia	1815	Starvation (and Tsunami)
36,417	Krakatau, Indonesia	1883	Tsunami
29,025	Mt. Pelee, Martinique	1902	Ash flows
25,000	Ruiz, Colombia	1985	Mudflows
14,300	Unzen, Japan	1792	Tsunami
9,350	Laki, Iceland	1783	Starvation
5,110	Kelut, Indonesia	1919	Mudflows
4,011	Galunggung, Indonesia	1882	Mudflows
3,500	Vesuvius, Italy	1631	Mud & lava flows
3,360	Vesuvius, Italy	79	Ash flows
2,957	Papandayan, Indonesia	1772	Ash flows
2,942	Lamington, Papua N.G.	1951	Ash flows
2,000	El Chichon, Mexico	1982	Ash flows
1,680	Soufriere, St Vincent	1902	Ash flows
1,475	Oshima, Japan	1741	Tsunami
1,377	Asama, Japan	1783	Ash flows, mudflows
1,335	Taal, Philippines	1911	Ash flows
1,200	Mayon, Philippines	1814	Mudflows
1,184	Agung, Indonesia	1963	Ash flows
1,000	Cotopaxi, Ecuador	1877	Mudflows
800	Pinatubo, Philippines	1991	Roof collapses and disease
700	Komagatake, Japan	1640	Tsunami
700	Ruiz, Colombia	1845	Mudflows
500	Hibok-Hibok, Philippines	1951	Ash flows

(based on data in Volcanic Hazards: A Sourcebook on the Effects of Eruptions by Russell J. Blong (1984)

Keep in mind that there have been lots of eruptions that have been bigger than these, but they either happened in a more remote area or very long ago.

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