The Highest Volcanoes in the World

The tallest volcanoes, by summit elevation.

Ranked by summit elevation, the highest volcanoes on Earth — from the towering cones of the Andes to the great peaks of Africa and Asia.

#	Place	Elevation (ft)
1	Cotopaxi Ecuador's near-perfect glaciated cone, among the world's highest active volcanoes	19,347 ft 5,897 m
2	Popocatepetl Mexico's smoking mountain, a restless giant beside Mexico City	17,881 ft 5,450 m
3	Mauna Loa The largest active volcano on Earth, which ended 38 quiet years with a 12-day eruption in 2022	13,678 ft 4,169 m
4	Mount Teide Spain's highest peak, a volcanic giant rising from the Atlantic on Tenerife	12,188 ft 3,715 m
5	Nyiragongo The Congolese volcano cradling one of the world's great lava lakes	11,385 ft 3,470 m
6	Mount Etna Europe's tallest and most restless volcano, towering over eastern Sicily	11,165 ft 3,403 m
7	Mount Merapi Indonesia's most persistently active volcano, looming over the city of Yogyakarta in central Java	9,547 ft 2,910 m
8	Mount Tambora The Indonesian volcano behind the 1816 Year Without a Summer	9,354 ft 2,851 m
9	The Yellowstone Caldera The vast volcanic system beneath Yellowstone National Park, source of three of the largest eruptions known	9,203 ft 2,805 m
10	Parícutin The volcano that rose from a Mexican cornfield in 1943 and erupted for nine years	9,186 ft 2,800 m
11	Mount St. Helens The Cascade volcano whose 1980 blast tore off its own summit	8,366 ft 2,550 m
12	Eyjafjallajokull The Icelandic volcano whose 2010 ash cloud grounded Europe	5,417 ft 1,651 m

Place

Elevation (ft)

Cotopaxi
Ecuador's near-perfect glaciated cone, among the world's highest active volcanoes

19,347 ft
5,897 m

Popocatepetl
Mexico's smoking mountain, a restless giant beside Mexico City

17,881 ft
5,450 m

Mauna Loa
The largest active volcano on Earth, which ended 38 quiet years with a 12-day eruption in 2022

13,678 ft
4,169 m

Mount Teide
Spain's highest peak, a volcanic giant rising from the Atlantic on Tenerife

12,188 ft
3,715 m

Nyiragongo
The Congolese volcano cradling one of the world's great lava lakes

11,385 ft
3,470 m

Mount Etna
Europe's tallest and most restless volcano, towering over eastern Sicily

11,165 ft
3,403 m

Mount Merapi
Indonesia's most persistently active volcano, looming over the city of Yogyakarta in central Java

9,547 ft
2,910 m

Mount Tambora
The Indonesian volcano behind the 1816 Year Without a Summer

9,354 ft
2,851 m

The Yellowstone Caldera
The vast volcanic system beneath Yellowstone National Park, source of three of the largest eruptions known

9,203 ft
2,805 m

Parícutin
The volcano that rose from a Mexican cornfield in 1943 and erupted for nine years

9,186 ft
2,800 m

Mount St. Helens
The Cascade volcano whose 1980 blast tore off its own summit

8,366 ft
2,550 m

Eyjafjallajokull
The Icelandic volcano whose 2010 ash cloud grounded Europe

5,417 ft
1,651 m

Figures are drawn from standard government and reference sources and shown in both imperial and metric units. See each entry for full details and citations. Browse all guides or open the explore map.