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World War II Casualties by Country 2024

World War II was the largest and deadliest armed conflict in the history of mankind. Often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, World War II encircled the globe, forcing nearly every country on Earth to align with one of two massive military alliances: the Axis powers, led by Germany, Italy, and Japan; or the Allies, led by Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, France, and China.

Between the start of the war in September 1939 and its end in August/September 1945, more than 100 million (and possibly as many as 300 million) combatants entered the fray. Many never returned. Precise casualty numbers for WWII are impossible to determine for most countries, whose stat-keeping capabilities faltered as nations rose and fell, borders changed, populations shifted, and vast numbers of soldiers were killed, wounded, captured, or declared missing in action. That caveat aside, the most up-to-date estimates calculate that between 70 million and 85 people died in World War II. That estimate equates to roughly 3-3.7% of Earth's population at the time.

Surprisingly, more than twice as many civilians died in World War II than did members of the military. Current estimates place military deaths between 21 million and 25.5 million people. By comparison, civilian deaths include 29 million to 30.5 million from military and war crimes, plus another 19 million to 28 million due to war-related famine and/or disease.

Countries with the Highest Total Casualties in World War II:

The following countries have the highest estimated World War II casualties: the Soviet Union (20 to 27 million), China (15 to 20 million), Germany (6 to 7.4 million), Poland (5.9 to 6 million), Dutch East Indies/Indonesia (3 to 4 million), Japan (2.5 to 3.1 million), India (2.2 to 3 million), Yugoslavia (1 to 1.7 million), French Indochina (Laos, Cambodia, part of Vietnam) (1 to 2.2 million), and France (600,000).

The Soviet Union is estimated to have suffered the highest number of WWII casualties. As many as 27 million Soviets lost their lives, with as many as 11.4 million military deaths joined by up to 10 million civilian deaths due to military activity and an additional 8 million to 9 million deaths due to famine and disease. Those totals do not include the more than 14 million Soviet soldiers who were wounded during the war. Among the Soviet Union's 15 republics, Russia withstood the highest number of casualties, with 6,750,000 military deaths and 7,200,000 civilian deaths. Ukraine tallied the second-highest casualties, with 1,650,000 military deaths and 5,200,000 civilian deaths.

China is estimated to have endured the second-highest number of total casualties in WWII. As many as 20 million people died in China, including up to 3.75 million military deaths and 18.19 million civilian deaths. That said, because both China and the Soviet Union were wracked by famine and disease during the war, some experts believe the countries' civilian casualty numbers may be significantly underestimated.

Germany incurred the third-most casualties of World War II, with as many as 7.4 million total deaths Also of note is Poland, whose death toll includes an estimated 3.2 million Jewish civilians who died in Nazi concentration and death camps. The following list includes the total estimated casualties for every country involved in the war.

- Totals for Russia collectively apply to the modern-day countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
- Totals for Yugoslavia collectively apply to the moder-day countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Morth Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia.

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Country
Total Deaths
Military Deaths
Civilian Deaths via Military
Civilian Deaths via Famine or Disease
China20,000,0003,750,0008,191,00010,000,000
Russia13,950,0006,750,0004,100,0003,100,000
Ukraine6,850,0001,650,0003,700,0001,500,000
Poland6,000,000240,0005,820,000
Germany5,700,0004,456,0002,135,000
Japan3,100,0002,300,000800,000
India3,087,00087,0003,000,000
Belarus2,290,000620,0001,360,000310,000
Hungary864,000200,000664,000
Greece807,00035,100171,800600,000
Kazakhstan660,000310,000350,000
France600,000210,000390,000
Philippines557,00057,000164,000336,000
Uzbekistan550,000330,000220,000
Italy514,000341,000153,200
Romania500,000300,000200,000
United Kingdom450,900383,70067,200
United States419,400407,30012,100
Lithuania375,00025,000275,00075,000
Austria370,000261,000124,000
Czech Republic355,00046,000320,000
Azerbaijan300,000210,00090,000
Georgia300,000190,000110,000
Latvia260,00030,000190,00040,000
Myanmar252,6002,600250,000
Netherlands210,0006,700187,30016,000
Armenia180,000150,00030,000
Moldova170,00050,00075,00045,000
Tajikistan120,00050,00070,000
Kyrgyzstan120,00070,00050,000
Ethiopia100,00015,00085,000
Turkmenistan100,00070,00030,000
Finland96,80094,7002,100
Belgium88,00012,00076,000
Estonia83,00034,00049,000
Canada43,60042,0001,600
Australia40,40039,700700
Albania30,00030,000
Bulgaria21,50018,5003,000
Papua New Guinea15,00015,000
South Africa11,90011,900
New Zealand11,70011,700
Norway10,2002,0008,200
Thailand7,6005,6002,000
Luxembourg7,1062,9054,201
Denmark6,0006,000
Sweden2,1001002,000
Brazil2,0001,0001,000
Egypt1,1001,100
Iraq700500200
Mongolia300300
Iran200200
Turkey200200
Iceland200200
Mexico100100
Cuba100100
Switzerland100100
Ireland1005,000100
Total70,591,90623,916,80529,606,20119,972,000
showing: 58 rows

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World War II Casualties by Country 2024

Which country had the most casualties in World War II?

20 to 27 million people from the Soviet Union were killed during World War II, making it the country with the highest number of casualties.

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