| Black death | Bubonic plague | Bacterium - Yersinia pestis | 75-200 million | 17-54% | 30-60% european population | 1346-1353 | Europe, Asia, and North Africa |
| Spanish flu | Influenza A/H1N1 | Influenza virus A/H1N1 | 17-100 million | 1-5.4% | - | 1918-1920 | Worldwide |
| Plague of Justinian | Bubonic plague | Bacterium - Yersinia pestis | 15-100 million | 7-56% | 25-60 % european population | 541-549 | Europe and West Asia |
| HIV/AIDS global pandemic | HIV/AIDS | virus HIV | 36.3 million | | | 1981-present | Worldwide |
| Third plague pandemic | Bubonic plague | Bacterium - Yersinia pestis | 12-15 million | | | 1855-1960 | Worldwide |
| COVID-19 pandemic | COVID-19 | virus SARS-CoV-2 | 5.6-22 million | 0.07-0.27% | | 2019-present | Worldwide |
| Cocoliztli epidemic | Cocoliztli | bacterium - Salmonella enterica - Paratyphi C | 5-15 million | 1-3% | 27-80% of Mexican population | 1545-1548 | Mexico |
| Antonine Plague | Smallpox or measles | variola major/minor (VARV) or measles morbillivirus (MeV) | 5-10 million | 3-6% | 25-33% of Roman population | 165-180 | Roman empire |
| 1520 Mexico smallpox epidemic | Smallpox | variola major/minor (VARV) | 5-8 million | 1-2% | 23-37% of Mexican population | 1519-1520 | Mexico |
| 1918-1922 Russia typhus epidemic | Typhus | bacteria: Rickettsia prowazekii, Orientia tsutsugamushi and Rickettsia typhi | 2-3 million | 0.1-0.16% | 1-1.6% of Russian population | 1918-1922 | Russia |
| 1957-1958 influenza pandemic | Influenza A/H2N2 | A/H2N2 virus | 1-4 million | 0.03-0.1% | | 1957-1958 | Worldwide |
| Hong Kong flu | Influenza A/H3N2 | A/H3N2 virus | 1-4 million | 0.03-0.1% | | 1968-1969 | Worldwide |
| Cocoliztli epidemic of 1576 | Cocoliztli | bacterium - Salmonella enterica - Paratyphi C | 2-2.5 million | 0.4-0.5% | 50% of Mexican population | 1576-1580 | Mexico |
| 735-737 Japanese smallpox epidemic | Smallpox | variola major/minor (VARV) | 2 million | 1% | 33% of Japanese population | 735-737 | Japan |
| 1772-1773 Persian Plague | Bubonic plague | Bacterium - Yersinia pestis | 2 million | 0.2-0.3% | | 1772-1773 | |
| Naples Plague | Bubonic plague | Bacterium - Yersinia pestis | 1.25 million | 0.2% | | 1656-1658 | Southern Italy |
| 1846-1860 cholera pandemic | Cholera | bacterium Vibrio cholerae | 1 million | 0.08% | | 1846-1860 | Worldwide |
| 1629-1631 Italian plague | Bubonic plague | Bacterium - Yersinia pestis | 1 million | 0.2% | | 1629-1631 | Italy |
| 1889-1890 flu pandemic | Influenza or coronavirus disease | virus A/H3N8, A/H2N2, or coronavirus OC43 | 1 million | 0.07% | | 1889-1890 | Worldwide |