China is an earthquake-prone country with a history of significant seismic disaster losses. It is crucial to assess the extent of potential losses in the event of an earthquake, with a view to enhancing emergency rescue and preparedness measures. This paper collates data on earthquake losses in mainland China between 1991 and 2022, and provides an account of the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of the disasters. Mathematical statistical methods were employed to analyse the temporal trends of each data set, and the results of the seismic kernel density estimation were found to be highly consistent with the seismic zone data. Furthermore, the weights of five disaster evaluation indexes were calculated using the entropy weight theory, including fatalities, injuries, direct economic losses, affected population and affected area. A fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model was employed to categorise the 32-year losses into five grades. With the exception of 2008, 2013 was classified as an extra-large grade, 2010 and 2014 were assigned a large grade, and 1995, 1996, 2003, 2012 and 2022 were classified as moderate. The middle-western region of China has experienced a significant number of severe and catastrophic earthquakes, while the eastern part of the country has a relatively low frequency of seismic activity and a high population density, with occasional large earthquakes resulting in significant damage and loss of life. In general, the number of fatalities and direct economic losses caused by earthquakes has been observed to decrease at a slow rate. This can be attributed to two key factors: the enhanced anti-seismic capacity of buildings and the heightened awareness of the risks posed by earthquakes..