The Global Earthquake Mortality Risks and Distribution is a 2.5 minute grid of global earthquake mortality risks. Gridded Population of the World, Version 3 (GPWv3) data provides a baseline estimate of population per grid cell from which to estimate potential mortality risks due to earthquake hazard. Mortality loss estimates per hazard event are calculated using regional, hazard-specific mortality records of the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) that span the 20 years between 1981 and 2000. Data regarding the distribution of earthquake hazard are obtained from the Global Earthquake Hazard Distribution-peak ground acceleration data set. In order to more accurately reflect the confidence associated with the data and procedures, the potential mortality estimate range is classified into deciles, 10 classes of increasing risk with an approximately equal number of grid cells per class, producing a relative estimate of earthquake-based mortality risks. This data set is the result of collaboration among the Columbia University Center for Hazards and Risk Research (CHRR), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank, and Columbia University Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN).