List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events

Predictions of apocalyptic events that will result in the extinction of humanity, a collapse of civilization, or the destruction of the planet have been made since at least the beginning of the Common Era. Most predictions are related to Abrahamic religions, often standing for or similar to the eschatological events described in their scriptures. Christian predictions typically refer to events like the Rapture, Great Tribulation, Last Judgment, and the Second Coming of Christ. End-time events are normally predicted to occur within the lifetime of the person making the prediction and are usually made using the Bible—in particular the New Testament—as either the primary or exclusive source for the predictions. This often takes the form of mathematical calculations, such as trying to calculate the point in time where it will have been 6,000 years since the supposed creation of the Earth by the Abrahamic God, which according to the Talmud marks the deadline for the Messiah to appear. Predictions of the end from natural events have also been theorised by various scientists and scientific groups. While these predictions are generally accepted as plausible within the scientific community, the events and phenomena are not expected to occur for hundreds of thousands, or even billions, of years from now.
Little research has been carried out into the reasons people have made apocalyptic predictions in modern times. Historically, such predictions have been made for the purpose of diverting attention from actual crises like poverty and war, pushing political agendas, or promoting hatred of certain groups; antisemitism was a popular theme of Christian apocalyptic predictions in medieval times, while some French and Lutheran depictions of the apocalypse were known to feature English and Catholic antagonists, respectively. According to psychologists, possible explanations for why people believe in modern apocalyptic predictions include: mentally reducing the actual danger in the world to a single and definable source; an innate human fascination with fear; personality traits of paranoia and powerlessness; and a modern romanticism related to end-times, resulting from its portrayal in contemporary fiction. The prevalence of Abrahamic religions throughout modern history is said to have created a culture that encourages the embracement of a future drastically different from the present. Such a culture is credited for the rise in popularity of predictions that are more secular in nature, such as the 2012 phenomenon, while maintaining the centuries-old theme that a powerful force will bring about the end of humanity.
In 2012, opinion polls conducted across 20 countries found that over 14% of people believe the world will end in their lifetime, with percentages ranging from 6% of people in France to 22% in the United States and Turkey. Belief in the apocalypse is most prevalent in people with lower levels of education, lower household incomes, and those under the age of 35. In the United Kingdom in 2015, 23% of the general public believed the apocalypse was likely to occur in their lifetime, compared to 10% of experts from the Global Challenges Foundation. The general public believed the likeliest cause would be nuclear war, while experts thought it would be artificial intelligence. Only 3% of Britons thought the end would be caused by the Last Judgement, compared with 16% of Americans. Up to 3% of the people surveyed in both the UK and the US thought the apocalypse would be caused by zombies or alien invasion.

Past predictions

First millennium CE

11th–15th centuries

16th century

17th century

18th century

19th century

20th century

21st century

Future predictions

Scientific far future predictions

Estimated timeframe	Claimant	Description
300,000	Peter Tuthill	In approximately 300,000 years, WR 104, a triple star, is expected to explode in a supernova. It has been suggested that it may produce a gamma ray burst that could pose a threat to life on Earth should its poles be aligned 12° or lower towards Earth. However, spectroscopic observations now strongly suggest that it is tilted at an angle of 30°-40° and so any gamma ray burst should not hit Earth.
< 500,000	Nick Bostrom	According to a journal article by Bostrom, an asteroid impacting with Earth would need to be larger than 1 km in diameter to render humans extinct. It is estimated that such an asteroid hits Earth about every 500,000 years.
< 1 million	The Geological Society	Within the next 1 million years, Earth will likely have undergone a supervolcanic eruption large enough to erupt 3,200 km³ of magma, an event comparable to the Toba supereruption 75,000 years ago.
16 million	Various	A hypothetical dark companion star, Nemesis, with an eccentric orbit of about 27 million years, triggers periodic mass extinctions by perturbing objects beyond Neptune into hitting the Earth. The K–Pg extinction which killed dinosaurs 66 million years ago is used as an anchor point in time for the cycle. Arguments against say it is a statistical artifact and sky surveys have failed to find it.
< 100 million	Stephen A. Nelson	It is estimated that every 100 million years, Earth will be hit by an asteroid about 10–15 km in diameter, comparable in size to the one that triggered the K–Pg extinction which killed dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
500–600 million	Anne Minard	By this time it is estimated that a gamma ray burst, or massive, hyperenergetic supernova, would have occurred within 6,500 light-years of Earth; close enough for its rays to affect Earth's ozone layer and potentially trigger a mass extinction, assuming the hypothesis is correct that a previous such explosion triggered the Ordovician–Silurian extinction event. However, the supernova would have to be precisely oriented relative to Earth to have any negative effect.
600–800 million	Various	By this time the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will have dropped below the level required for C3 carbon fixation in plants. The resulting lack of oxygen-producing plants will cause free oxygen in the atmosphere to disappear, making aerobic life impossible.
1–5 billion	Various	The estimated end of the Sun's current phase of development, after which it will swell into a red giant, either scorching or swallowing Earth, will occur around five billion years from now. However, as the Sun grows gradually hotter, Earth may become too hot for life as early as one billion years from now.
1.3 billion	Various	It is estimated that all eukaryotic life will die due to carbon dioxide starvation. Only prokaryotes will remain.
7.59 billion	David Powell	Earth and the Moon will most likely be engulfed by the Sun, just before it reaches the largest of its red giant phase when it will be 256 times larger than it is now. Before the final collision, the Moon may spiral below Earth's Roche limit, breaking into a ring of debris, most of which falls to Earth's surface.
22 billion	Various	The end of the Universe in the Big Rip scenario, assuming a model of dark energy with w = −1.5. Observations of galaxy cluster speeds by the Chandra X-ray Observatory suggest that the true value of w is ~-0.991, meaning the Big Rip will not occur.
10¹⁰⁰	Various	The heat death of the universe is a scientific theory in which the universe will diminish to a state of no thermodynamic free energy and therefore will no longer be able to sustain directed motion or life.