Major Famines Attributed to British Rule

 The British Empire was directly or indirectly involved in numerous famines across its colonial territories. While exact numbers vary by definitions and scope, historians and researchers have documented at least 12 major famines that can be strongly attributed to British colonial policies. Here is a summary of the most significant ones:



📜 Major Famines Attributed to British Rule

Famine Years Estimated Deaths Region Causes & British Role
Great Bengal Famine 1770 ~10 million Bengal (India) British East India Company’s taxation policies and grain exports during drought
Chalice Famine 1783–84 Unknown (severe) Southern India Grain export and price speculation during El Niño drought
Upper Doab Famine 1860–61 ~2 million North India Poor relief and British trade policies
Orissa Famine 1866 ~1 million Eastern India Administrative apathy; continued rice export during starvation
Rajputana Famine 1869 ~1.5 million Rajasthan (India) Laissez-faire economics; failure of relief
Great Famine of 1876–78 1876–78 5.5–12 million South & West India Grain exports continued; market liberalism worsened crisis
Irish Potato Famine 1845–52 ~1 million dead, ~2 million emigrated Ireland Continued food exports; failure to respond adequately
Indian Famine 1896–97 ~5 million Central India British famine codes delayed relief; grain exported
Indian Famine 1899–1900 ~1.25 million Western & Central India Similar relief failures as earlier famines
Persian Famine 1917–19 ~2 million Iran (then under British influence) British war requisitions; hoarding and inflation
Bengal Famine 1943 3–4 million Bengal (India) Wartime rice hoarding, British denialism, Churchill’s refusal of aid
Tanganyika Famine 1919 Tens of thousands East Africa (modern Tanzania) Post-WWI requisitions, disruption of local agriculture by British policies

🧭 Patterns and Causes

  • Grain Exports During Scarcity: Several famines were worsened by Britain's policy of continuing to export food even as local populations starved.

  • Market Fundamentalism: British administrators often refused to intervene in grain markets due to ideological commitment to laissez-faire economics.

  • Colonial Extraction: In some famines, local food stocks were requisitioned or redirected to support British war efforts or economic goals.

  • Administrative Apathy: Delay or refusal of effective relief, often justified by racial or Malthusian theories.

Scholarly Consensus

Scholars like Mike Davis (Late Victorian Holocausts), Amartya Sen (Poverty and Famines), and Madhusree Mukerjee (Churchill’s Secret War) argue that British colonial policies directly exacerbated the human toll of these disasters. While some famines were triggered by drought or crop failure, the scale of death was often determined by policy decisions.


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