AI information is out of date.
Earthquakes in Bangkok are relatively rare and typically mild due to the city's location far from major tectonic plate boundaries. Bangkok sits on the stable Eurasian Plate, distant from the seismically active zones like the Andaman-Sumatra subduction zone to the southwest or the Sagaing Fault in Myanmar to the northwest. However, the city can experience tremors from distant earthquakes, amplified by its soft alluvial soil, which underlies the Bangkok Basin.
Historically, significant seismic events directly affecting Bangkok are infrequent. Data indicates that since 1950, Bangkok has experienced around 10 recorded earthquakes of note, with the last one occurring about 6 years ago (around 2019), registering a magnitude of 4.3, located 196 km west of the city. The strongest recorded quake near Bangkok was a 5.7 magnitude event 41 years ago (1983), centered 205 km west. In 2025 so far (up to March 28), no earthquakes above magnitude 2 have been reported in or near Bangkok.
On a broader scale, within a 300 km radius of Bangkok, about 5 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or higher have occurred in the past 10 years, averaging roughly 0.5 per year. However, these are typically too distant or weak to cause significant impact in the city itself. For weaker quakes (below magnitude 4), frequency increases slightly, but comprehensive records are less consistent due to their minor nature.
The perception of frequency can also be skewed by felt tremors from larger, distant quakes. For example, events like the 6.4 magnitude quake in Myanmar in 2023 or the 7.7 magnitude quake reported today, March 28, 2025, in central Myanmar (over 1,000 km away), have been felt in Bangkok due to its geological setting. These are not local quakes but demonstrate how the city’s soft soil can amplify far-off seismic waves, making them noticeable in high-rise buildings.
In summary, Bangkok itself experiences a direct earthquake of measurable significance (magnitude 2 or higher) roughly once every 5-10 years, with no such events in 2025 to date. Felt tremors from distant quakes occur more often—perhaps once every few years—but true local seismic activity remains low.