Safety Statistics
World mountains ranked by fatality rate — not a casualty list but data for prevention: causes of death, incidents, and safety lessons from verified sources.
Aggregated for prevention and awareness — not a casualty list. Open a mountain to see its causes of death, incidents, and safety lessons in full.
38 mountains with safety data
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Eight-thousander death-rate table (8000ers.com data), 1950 through March 2012: 335 summits / 68 deaths = 20.3% deaths per person reaching the top. Nanga Parbat is nicknamed the 'Killer Mountain' — 31 climbers died before its first ascent (Hermann Buhl, 1953). It ranks among the deadliest eight-thousanders.
20.3% fatality rateper successful summit 68deaths · 335summits - 2
As of Feb 2025: 559 summits / 75 deaths (Guinness World Records). Historically recorded at ~32% in 2012 (Eberhard Jurgalski's analysis, 1950–2012) — often called the deadliest eight-thousander.
13.4% fatality rateper successful summit 75deaths · 559summits - 3
Cumulative since the 1960 first ascent through the 2024 season: 691 successful ascents, 87 recorded deaths (Wikipedia, compiled from 8000ers/Himalayan Database). The 12.6% ratio = 87 divided by 691, pure arithmetic from two sourced figures — the source does not state a percentage directly.
12.6% fatality rateper successful summit 87deaths · 691summits - 4
As of Aug 2023: ~800 summits / 96 deaths. Before 2021 the ratio was roughly one death for every four people who reached the summit (~25%); recent waves of mass guided ascents lowered the cumulative ratio. K2 is often called the hardest and second-deadliest eight-thousander.
12% fatality rateper successful summit 96deaths · 800summits - 5
Eight-thousander death-rate table (8000ers.com data via Wikipedia), 1950 through March 2012: 661 successful ascents / 65 deaths = 9.8% deaths per person reaching the summit. Manaslu (8,163 m, world's 8th-highest) ranks among the deadliest eight-thousanders — in 2008 it was called the 4th most dangerous after Annapurna, Nanga Parbat, and K2. Avalanche is the dominant cause.
9.8% fatality rateper successful summit 65deaths · 661summits - 6
Himalayan Database (via the Wikipedia 'List of deaths on eight-thousanders' compilation) through May 2022: 52 deaths across 532 summits — deaths-per-summit basis ≈ 9.8%; recorded fatalities date back to the first attempt in 1905. Kangchenjunga is among the DEADLIEST 8000ers. Figures vary by basis: the Wikipedia article states more than 20% of climbers have died since the 1990s (per-climber, recent era), while Guinness World Records records ~7.8% (54 of 690 climbs, per-climb basis). These differences reflect differing denominators (summit vs attempt vs climber), not conflicting data.
9.8% fatality rateper successful summit 52deaths · 532summits - 7
Eight-thousander death-rate table (8000ers.com data, Eberhard Jurgalski) covering 1950 through March 2012: 334 successful summits / 29 deaths = 8.7% deaths per person reaching the top. Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak, 8,080 m) sits in the mid-to-upper range among the fourteen eight-thousanders — deadlier than its neighbour Gasherbrum II (2.3%), but well below K2 (~23%) or Annapurna. Its remote position deep in the Karakoram, harsh weather, and long glaciated terrain (the Gasherbrum Icefall) make it one of the least-climbed eight-thousanders. Basis: deaths per successful summiter, not the chance of dying on a single attempt.
8.7% fatality rateper successful summit 29deaths · 334summits - 8
Eight-thousander death-rate table (8000ers.com data), 1950 through March 2012: 361 successful summits / 31 deaths = 8.6% deaths per person reaching the top. Measured as a 'climber death rate' (deaths per climber above base camp) the figure is 1.63%. Makalu (8,485 m, the 5th-highest peak on Earth) is not as deadly by ratio as Annapurna or K2, yet it remains a hazardous eight-thousander because of its steep, exposed, remote rock-and-ice pyramid.
8.6% fatality rateper successful summit 31deaths · 361summits - 9
Eight-thousander death-rate table (8000ers.com data) 1964 through March 2012: 302 successful summits / 25 deaths = 8.3% deaths per person reaching the top. Although Shishapangma is the lowest eight-thousander (8,027 m) and often called the 'easiest', its slopes are extraordinarily AVALANCHE-prone due to wind-slab layers. The Himalayan Database records 36 deaths as of November 2025; the 7 October 2023 avalanche alone claimed 4 lives near the summit.
8.3% fatality rateper successful summit 25deaths · 302summits - 10
Eight-thousander death-rate table (8000ers.com data) 1957 through March 2012: 404 successful summits / 21 deaths = 5.2% deaths per person reaching the top — mid-range among the eight-thousanders. But the absolute toll keeps rising: the Himalayan Database records 39 deaths as of November 2025, with many climbers dying from falls or exhaustion on the DESCENT (e.g. the 2013, 2021 and 2022 tragedies). Broad Peak is regarded as one of the 'easier' eight-thousanders to climb, yet the long summit ridge makes the descent its deadliest phase.
5.2% fatality rateper successful summit 21deaths · 404summits - 11
Eight-thousander death-rate table (8000ers.com data, compiled by Eberhard Jurgalski), 1950 through March 2012: 461 successful summits / 13 deaths = 2.8% deaths per person reaching the top; as a 'climber death rate' (deaths per climber above base camp) the figure is 1.03%. Basis note: other sources count casualties on a different definition — the Lhotse article records that 'by December 2008, 371 climbers had summited while 20 had died', so the total death count can be higher depending on scope; the rate above follows the 8000ers.com table, which states the ratio directly. Lhotse (8,516 m, the 4th-highest peak on Earth) shares its approach with Everest through the Khumbu Icefall and Western Cwm, then splits onto the steep Lhotse Face toward the summit couloir.
2.8% fatality rateper successful summit 13deaths · 461summits - 12
Himalayan Database (Alan Arnette compilation) through December 2025: 339 deaths across 13,737 summits over 1921–2025 — deaths-per-summit basis (≈2.5%, about 1.06 deaths per 100 summits). This per-summit rate is LOW compared with other 8000ers such as K2 (~12%) or Annapurna, even though Everest's absolute toll is the highest because of the sheer number of climbers. 130 of the 339 fatalities (39%) were hired support workers/Sherpas. Recent research: spring-season mortality on the standard routes fell from ~3.0% (early decades) to about 0.8% (2024).
2.5% fatality rateper successful summit 339deaths · 13.737summits - 13
Eight-thousander death-rate table (8000ers.com data, Eberhard Jurgalski) covering 1950 through March 2012: 930 successful summits / 21 deaths = 2.3% deaths per person reaching the top — one of the LOWEST ratios among the fourteen eight-thousanders, far below its neighbour Gasherbrum I (8.7%), let alone K2 (~23%). Because its normal route is technically the most modest of the eight-thousanders and it sees relatively many climbers, Gasherbrum II (8,034 m) is often called the most approachable eight-thousander. Even so, a low ratio doesn't mean safe: its main hazards are avalanche and seracs in the Gasherbrum Icefall plus Karakoram weather. Basis: deaths per successful summiter, not the chance of dying on a single attempt.
2.3% fatality rateper successful summit 21deaths · 930summits - 14
Eight-thousander death-rate table (8000ers.com data, compiled by Eberhard Jurgalski), 1950 through March 2012: 3,138 successful summits / 44 deaths = 1.4% deaths per person reaching the top. Measured as a 'climber death rate' (deaths per climber above base camp) the figure is 0.64% — the lowest death-to-summit ratio of all fourteen eight-thousanders (about 1/25 of Annapurna's). Cho Oyu (8,188 m, the 6th-highest peak on Earth) is often called the 'easiest' eight-thousander thanks to the relatively gentle slopes of the northwest-ridge route and easy access via the Nangpa La pass — but 'easiest' is not 'safe': it remains a death-zone peak (>8000 m) demanding full acclimatisation, and that very sense of ease can breed complacency.
1.4% fatality rateper successful summit 44deaths · 3.138summits - 15
High Altitude Medicine & Biology study (2008): 96 deaths over 1903–2006, a fatality rate of 3.08 per 1,000 summit attempts (per-attempt basis). 45% were from falls, 61% occurred on the descent, 92% were male. The mandatory NPS registration system introduced in 1995 cut fatalities by ~53%. The cumulative total exceeds 130 deaths as of 2026 (NPS). About 1,000–1,100 climbers register each year; summit success typically hovers below 50%.
0.31% fatality rateper recorded attempt 96deaths - 16
Wilderness & Environmental Medicine study: of 42,731 climbers who attempted the summit over 2001–2012 there were 33 deaths — a fatality rate of 0.77 per 1,000 attempts (0.077%, on a per-registered-climber basis via the park medical service). A follow-up 2013–2024 study recorded 21 deaths among 29,397 climbers (0.071%), with 90% of deaths above 6,000 m and elevated risk for climbers over 50. The rate is lower than Everest or Denali but higher than Rainier. Aconcagua is the highest peak in the Southern/Western Hemispheres and is usually climbed rope-free (the normal Northwest route) — its danger is not technical but extreme altitude: summit air pressure is roughly 40% of sea level. About 3,000+ climbers per season (Nov–Feb); park-ranger estimates put summit success at only ~30–40%.
0.08% fatality rateper recorded attempt 33deaths - 17
Single-year (2025) data from Balai TNGR: 80,214 trekking visits, 3 climbers died — the death-per-visit ratio is very low (0.004%), but THIS FIGURE IS MISLEADING on its own: in the same year 58 trekkers fell and only 3 were fatal. The danger is real (falls, hypothermia), but there is no structured multi-year fatality-rate baseline for Rinjani. Single source, indicative.
0% fatality rateper recorded attempt 3deaths - 18
A 1994 assessment estimated that 6,000–8,000 climbers have died on Mont Blanc in total since the first ascent in 1786 — the highest absolute death toll of any mountain in the world (the card figure is the lower bound of that estimate, not an exact count). About 20,000 people climb it each year; modern annual deaths range 10–20 (e.g. 14 died out of ~20,000 summit attempts in 2017, 15 in 2018). Because the yearly attempt volume is large and the numerator/denominator periods do not align, a per-attempt fatality rate is not computed here — Mont Blanc's lethality lies in its absolute toll and objective hazards, not in a high ratio.
rate n/a 6.000deaths - 19
About 805 documented deaths from the early 1930s through December 2014 — the highest death toll of any single mountain in the world, recorded in Guinness World Records. For comparison, roughly 200 people have died on Everest over a comparable span. This is an absolute count, not a fatality rate (the denominator of total climbs is not systematically recorded).
rate n/a 805deaths - 20
Since the first ascent in 1865, over 500 climbers have died on the Matterhorn — one of the highest cumulative tolls in the Alps. The historic average is about 12 deaths per year (late-1980s to ~2015 estimates); the most recent decade trends lower, around 3–5 per year per current sources. The number of ascents per year is not officially recorded, so a valid per-summit fatality rate cannot be computed — the figure here is an absolute toll, not a ratio.
rate n/a 500deaths - 21
161 recorded deaths since the NH state park began keeping records in 1849 (Presidential Range); about 114 of them are hiking-related per the White Mountain incident database. No reliable annual hiker count exists, so no fatality rate is computed.
rate n/a 161deaths - 22
More than 130 recorded deaths from the first fatal climb in 1896 through 2002 (records kept since the late 19th century). About 10,000 people attempt the climb each year (as of 2007), so per-climb risk is low-to-moderate even though the absolute toll is among the highest in the US. A per-climb fatality rate is not computed because the sources do not provide a numerator and denominator for the same period — deriving one would mislead.
rate n/a 130deaths - 23
About 84 people died in climbing accidents on Mount Rainier in 1947–2018 (≈89 recorded deaths since 1897), an average of roughly two deaths per year from rock and ice fall, avalanche, falls, and hypothermia. Around 10,000–11,000 people attempt the climb each year (471,792 recorded attempts 1950–2022) with a summit success rate near 50%. Because the attempt volume is very large and the numerator/denominator periods do not align, a per-attempt fatality rate is not computed — the per-person risk is small, but the glacier's objective hazards are very real.
rate n/a 84deaths - 24
Nearly 80 mountaineering deaths on the peak since the early 20th century through 2016 (cited from New Zealand Geographic) — New Zealand's highest and deadliest mountain; hardly a season passes without a fatality. This is a CUMULATIVE count (not a per-summit rate): there is no official denominator of ascents, so no percentage is derived. Basis note: the larger '240+ deaths' figure covers the WHOLE Mount Cook National Park (all causes, including non-climbing) and is not blended here. An academic study (Wilderness & Environmental Medicine) recorded 33 climber deaths over 52,906 hut nights = 0.62/1000 hut nights — a different basis, not equivalent to a per-summit percentage.
rate n/a 80deaths - 25
At least 64 climbers have died on the north face (Nordwand) since 1935 — a CUMULATIVE total, not a per-summit rate; no recorded denominator of attempts exists, so a fatality percentage cannot be derived. The lethal reputation is concentrated on the north face, not the far easier normal route (west flank).
rate n/a 64deaths - 26
46 backcountry fatalities in Grand Teton National Park, 1997-2014 (Montopoli study; a continuation of the 1925-1996 analysis). A uniform climber denominator is not published, so no fatality rate is computed to avoid extrapolation.
rate n/a 46deaths - 27
A review study (Richardson & Spano, Wilderness & Environmental Medicine 2018) recorded 31 deaths (29 confirmed + 2 likely) on Half Dome over ~85 years (earliest death 1930). This spans all activities — technical climbing 36%, non-accidental deaths 26%, cable route 16%, hiking 16%, base jumping 6% — so the pure hiking-accident count is smaller. Mean age 32±14 years. This is an absolute count, not a fatality rate.
rate n/a 31deaths - 28
Sinabung is an active volcano CLOSED to climbing since its 2010 reactivation. At least 23 deaths since 2014 came from eruptions & pyroclastic flows striking people inside the danger zone ("red zone"), not from climbing accidents. This is not a climbing fatality rate — there is no summit/attempt basis. Safety lesson: obey the PVMBG exclusion radius and activity status.
rate n/a 23deaths - 29
Whakaari / White Island is New Zealand's most active volcano (Bay of Plenty) and a crater tourism destination — not an altitude climb. Its chief hazard is PHREATIC (steam-driven) ERUPTIONS that can occur with little or no warning. On 9 December 2019 a sudden phreatic eruption killed 22 of the 47 people on the island at the time, and all 47 suffered serious injuries — mostly critical burns. At the moment of the eruption the Volcanic Alert Level was 2 (raised from 1 on 18 November 2019) and tourist visits were still permitted. Because eruptions are episodic and unpredictable, there is no meaningful per-visit fatality rate — the 22-of-47 figure is the casualty proportion in a single event, NOT an annual death rate. Framing = prevention: obey the volcanic alert level, understand that Level 2 still carries an unheralded-eruption risk, and do not enter the crater area during heightened unrest.
rate n/a 22deaths - 30 Mount Kilimanjaro Tanzania
21 climber deaths recorded in the autopsy registry of the KCMC referral hospital (Moshi) between January 2016 and December 2017; 17 of them died while still on the mountain. The park authority does not publish official climber numbers, so there is NO usable denominator — this is an absolute count, not a ratio, and it may not capture every case. For morbidity comparison: a 2019–2020 prospective cohort recorded severe altitude-illness symptoms in 8.6% of 1,237 recreational hikers (1.1% needed hospital admission).
rate n/a 21deaths - 31 Mount Kinabalu Malaysia
Kinabalu (4,095 m, Southeast Asia's highest walk-up peak) is a guided two-day climb; deaths are very rare in normal operation. The largest loss of life came in a SINGLE event: a magnitude-6.0 earthquake on 5 June 2015 triggered rockslides that killed 18 people. That figure of 18 is not an annual rate. More than 29,000 climbers ascend each year (per the official site), but no aggregate death total is documented, so a fatality rate cannot be computed.
rate n/a 18deaths - 32
Basis: ~221,000 summer-2023 climbers with 4 deaths during the official season (Shizuoka & Yamanashi Prefectural Police data) — per-climber risk is low (well under 0.01%) DURING the official season. WARNING: official trails close early September–early July; off-season climbing is far deadlier (summit temps to −20°C, no huts or on-mountain rescue team). This ratio does not apply off-season.
rate n/a 4deaths - 33
Ama Dablam (6,812 m), often called the 'Matterhorn of the Himalayas', is the third most popular permitted peak in Nepal. The South West Ridge is now heavily fixed-roped and so more manageable technically than in the 1980s, BUT the main danger is OBJECTIVE: the hanging glacier — the 'Dablam' — that overhangs Camp III. A serac collapse on 13–14 November 2006 killed six climbers and changed practice — many teams now use two camps instead of three to cut exposure time. No source publishes an official per-summit fatality rate, so no ratio is shown; deaths cluster around objective hazard (serac/falling ice) and falls on the steep ridge during the descent. Figures are indicative, drawn from a compilation of sourced incidents.
rate n/a - 34
No structured fatality statistics (a death rate per number of ascents) are published for Cotopaxi, so the figures are indicative — not an official rate. The deadliest recorded climbing accident was the 1996 avalanche that killed 13 people around the José Rivas Refuge (~4,800 m); informal estimates suggest roughly 1–2 climber deaths per year. The main hazards are avalanche and icefall on the glacier slopes (notably below the Yanasacha rock wall), crevasse falls on the summit route, altitude illness at 5,897 m, plus the mountain's active-volcano status — eruptions in 1877, 2015, and 2022 triggered national-park closures.
rate n/a - 35
Kawah Ijen (the Ijen volcano complex, East Java, ±2,386 m) is famous for its 'blue fire' and the world's largest highly acidic crater lake (pH ~0.1–0.5, concentrated sulfuric acid). Its main danger is NOT altitude but TOXIC VOLCANIC GAS (SO2/H2S): gas explosions killed 49 miners in 1976 and 25 in 1989 (UCL), and a phreatic eruption on 21 March 2018 exposed about 30 people — 24 hospitalised — and forced the evacuation of three hamlets and closure of the crater. The roughly 200 traditional sulfur miners work with almost no protective equipment and are reported to have a life expectancy of ≤50 years. No structured per-visitor fatality rate exists, so the data is indicative; framing = prevention (mask/respirator, mind the wind direction, obey PVMBG alerts and closures). Its 'quiet years' do NOT mean it is safe.
rate n/a - 36
Climbing sources report an average of 15–20 deaths per year (others cite 15–30). No reliable annual climber count exists, so no fatality rate is computed; figures are indicative, not a precise ratio.
rate n/a - 37
No structured climber-fatality statistics exist for Villarrica; climber deaths are documented as individual incidents (e.g. 2016 and 2025), usually from slips or falls on the icy slope toward the crater — some while climbing without a guide on unauthorized routes. The figures are therefore indicative, not an official rate. Villarrica is one of South America's most active volcanoes with a persistent lava lake; eruption hazards (a 1964 lahar killed 27 residents; toxic gases in 1971–72 killed at least 15) and alert cycles (the 2015 eruption evacuated 3,385 people; an orange alert in 2023) demand monitoring SERNAGEOMIN and using a certified guide.
rate n/a - 38
Volcán de Fuego (3,763 m, Guatemala) is one of Central America's most active volcanoes — erupting almost continuously since January 2002, with typically 3–4 major eruptions (paroxysms) per year and dozens of small explosions per day. Fuego is usually climbed or watched at close range from neighbouring Acatenango. Its chief hazards are PYROCLASTIC FLOWS, ballistic rock projectiles, ashfall, and lahars — and a paroxysmal eruption can escalate faster than the human warning chain. On 3 June 2018 pyroclastic flows killed hundreds in downslope communities (not hikers): CONRED recorded 110 dead and 197 missing as of 12 June 2018, while other compilations cite at least 190 dead and 256 missing by late July 2018 — Guatemala's deadliest volcanic disaster in over a century. There is no official dataset of HIKER casualties, so the death figures here are for downslope communities, not a climbing fatality rate. Framing = prevention: evacuate early, respect exclusion zones and the flow ravines (barrancas), and understand that eruptions can arrive with insufficient warning.
rate n/a