Worst famine death toll

In 1957, Chairman Mao Zedong of China initiated an economic development plan designed to catch up with western economies. The rural communities were pressed to feed this expansion, but as political leadership moved out of touch with reality they made mistakes which ultimately lead to a devastating famine. Between the years 1959–1961, it is estimated that 16.5–40 million people died as a result of the Great Leap famine.

China's populations was in the region of 600 million in the mid-1950s, meaning that around 1 in 15 of the population died in the great famine.

The worst famine that occurred as direct result of drought is probably the Great Famine of 1876, which lasted 2–3 years.