How did the Chile earthquake of 2010 compare with the 2010 Haiti earthquake in magnitude and deaths?

The 2010 earthquakes in Chile and Haiti differed significantly in both their physical intensity and their human impact.

Magnitude

The Chile earthquake of 2010 was a magnitude-8.8 event, making it substantially more powerful than the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which registered a magnitude of 7.0.123

Death Toll

Despite the lower magnitude of the Haiti earthquake, it resulted in a much higher loss of life. While the official death toll for the Chile earthquake was more than 500 people, the Haitian government’s official count for the 2010 earthquake in Haiti was more than 300,000 deaths.4135

It is important to note that while the Chile earthquake caused widespread damage, the country's stringent building codes—instituted and revised following a massive 1960 earthquake—helped limit the loss of life compared to the catastrophic humanitarian disaster that unfolded in Haiti.13