Deadliest Himalayan mountain

According to data collected by the Himalayan Database, as of 7 February 2025, the most dangerous mountain for climbers in the Nepal Himalaya is Annapurna I (8,091 m; 26,545 ft), with 75 fatalities recorded out of 559 ascents – a rate of 13.42%.

The Nepal Himalaya is an 800-km-long (500-mile) stretch of the Himalayan mountain range, containing more than 1,000 distinct high-altitude peaks (over 6,000 m; 19,685 ft) and eight summits over 8,000 m (26,246 ft).

The majority of deaths on Annapurna I occur at a single avalance point at 5,900 m, between camp II (5,460 m) and camp III (6,400 m). The deadliest year on the mountain was 1991, when seven climbers perished – six of them killed on a single day in an avalanche (19 September).

Death rates are generally declining across all mountains owing to more accurate weather forecasting, improvements in equipment, more professional expedition support and the use of helicopter rescue services.

Fatality rates on the Himalayan 8000ers:

• Annapurna I: 75 deaths from 559 climbs - 13.42%
• Dhaulagiri: 92 deaths from 707 climbs - 13.01%
• Kangchenjunga: 54 deaths from 690 climbs - 7.83%
• Makalu: 51 deaths from 891 climbs - 5.72%
• Everest: 344 deaths from 13,752 climbs - 2.5%
• Manaslu: 90 deaths from 3,750 climbs - 2.40%
• Lhotse: 25 deaths from 1,473 climbs - 1.70%
• Cho Oyu: 52 deaths from 4,081 climbs - 1.27%