Cost: $29 billion (by the World Bank)
The May 12, 2008, Sichuan earthquake was a deadly earthquake that measured at 8.0 magnitude. The quake killed about 70,000 people and left more than 18,000 missing. The epicenter was 80 km (50 miles) west-northwest of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, where almost 4 million people resided.
Estimates put direct damage and losses from the earthquake at $29 billion, with indirect damage much higher.
The Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, which caused about 250,000 deaths, is not included on this list. Economic losses there amounted to only $14 billion in today's prices, partly because of low property and land values in the affected areas.
However, money is only one scale of evaluating the impacts of natural disasters.
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