Wettest Places on Earth by Average Annual Rainfall

About This Dataset

This chart ranks the wettest places on Earth by average annual rainfall, in millimetres. Mawsynram in India, drenched by monsoon clouds funnelled off the Bay of Bengal, is widely regarded as the wettest inhabited place on the planet.

✨ AI Insight

Mawsynram, India, tops the list at about 11,872 mm of rain a year, roughly ten metres of water and more than fifteen times the global city average. Its neighbour Cherrapunji (11,777 mm) and Colombia's Tutunendo (11,770 mm) are nearly tied, showing that the wettest places on Earth are separated by only a few percent. Geography is the common thread: most of these locations sit where moisture-laden ocean winds are forced upward by mountains, wringing out enormous rainfall. India's Meghalaya hills, Colombia's Choco rainforest, New Zealand's Southern Alps (Cropp River, 11,516 mm) and the slopes of Cameroon and Hawaii all follow this pattern. The five wettest all exceed 10,000 mm annually, a staggering volume that shapes local life, agriculture and the record-breaking waterfalls and rivers these regions are known for.

Source: World Meteorological data / WorldAtlas

Key Findings

Auto-computed highlights from this dataset

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Mawsynram (India) leads with 11,872 in All Time.

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Average value in All Time: 11,038 · median: 11,516.

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Gap in All Time: Mawsynram (India) is 1.2× larger than Mount Waialeale (Hawaii, USA).