World War II
World War II Casualties by Country 2026
Country | Total Deaths During WWII (M)↓ | Casualties as % of Population | Population Estimate 1939 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Russia | 26.6M | 12.67% | 110.1M |
 | China | 20M | 3.86% | 517.6M |
 | Germany | 7.4M | 10.68% | 69.3M |
 | Ukraine | 6.8M | 16.57% | 41.3M |
 | Poland | 6M | 17.22% | 34.8M |
 | Japan | 3.1M | 4.34% | 71.4M |
 | India | 3.1M | 0.82% | 377.8M |
 | Belarus | 2.3M | 25.3% | 9.1M |
 | Philippines | 1.4M | 8.82% | 16M |
 | Myanmar | 1M | 6.2% | 16.1M |
 | Hungary | 864K | 9.46% | 9.1M |
 | Greece | 807K | 11.17% | 7.2M |
 | Kazakhstan | 660K | 10.73% | 6.2M |
 | France | 600K | 1.44% | 41.7M |
 | Uzbekistan | 550K | 8.4% | 6.5M |
 | Italy | 514K | 1.16% | 44.4M |
 | Romania | 500K | 3.13% | 16M |
 | United Kingdom | 450.9K | 0.94% | 47.8M |
 | United States | 419.4K | 0.32% | 131M |
 | Lithuania | 375K | 12.8% | 2.9M |
 | Austria | 370K | 5.56% | 6.7M |
 | Czechia | 355K | 2.43% | 14.6M |
 | Azerbaijan | 300K | 9.17% | 3.3M |
 | Georgia | 300K | 8.31% | 3.6M |
 | Latvia | 260K | 13.76% | 1.9M |
 | Netherlands | 250K | 2.86% | 8.7M |
 | Armenia | 180K | 13.64% | 1.3M |
 | Moldova | 170K | 6.88% | 2.5M |
 | Tajikistan | 120K | 7.84% | 1.5M |
 | Kyrgyzstan | 120K | 7.84% | 1.5M |
 | Ethiopia | 100K | 0.56% | 17.7M |
 | Turkmenistan | 100K | 7.69% | 1.3M |
 | Finland | 96.8K | 2.62% | 3.7M |
 | Belgium | 88K | 1.05% | 8.4M |
 | Estonia | 83K | 7.32% | 1.1M |
 | Canada | 43.6K | 0.39% | 11.3M |
 | Australia | 40.4K | 0.58% | 7M |
 | Albania | 30K | 2.8% | 1.1M |
 | Bulgaria | 21.5K | 0.33% | 6.5M |
 | Papua New Guinea | 15K | ||
 | South Africa | 11.9K | 0.12% | 10.2M |
 | New Zealand | 11.7K | 0.72% | 1.6M |
 | Norway | 10.2K | 0.35% | 2.9M |
 | Thailand | 7.6K | 0.05% | 15M |
 | Luxembourg | 7.1K | 2.45% | 290K |
 | Denmark | 6K | 0.16% | 3.8M |
 | Ireland | 5.1K | 0.17% | 3M |
 | Sweden | 2.1K | 0.03% | 6.3M |
 | Brazil | 2K | 40.3M | |
 | Guam | 2K | 8.77% | 22.8K |
 | Egypt | 1.1K | 0.01% | 16.5M |
 | Iraq | 700 | 0.02% | 3.7M |
 | Mongolia | 300 | ||
 | Iran | 200 | ||
 | Turkey | 200 | 17.4M | |
 | Iceland | 200 | 0.17% | 118.9K |
 | Mexico | 100 | 19.3M | |
 | Cuba | 100 | 4.2M | |
 | Switzerland | 100 | 4.2M | |
| Total | 86.6M |
- During World War II, several modern countries were part of larger states, including the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. Casualties are presented in the table according to modern country boundaries.
- Historical totals for countries such as the Soviet Union are commonly cited as aggregated figures, which reflect the combined losses of their former republics.
- World War II casualty figures are estimates based on historical research; exact totals remain uncertain due to incomplete wartime records.
Snapshot
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The Soviet Union suffered the highest total losses of World War II, with an estimated 20–27 million deaths.
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Countries such as Mexico, Switzerland, and Turkey recorded some of the lowest total wartime deaths.
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Several Eastern European countries lost more than 10% of their 1939 population during the war.
Soviet Union Casualty Estimates During World War II, the Soviet Union existed as a single country and is commonly cited as having suffered 20–27 million deaths. In this dataset, casualties are presented by modern successor states such as Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, whose combined totals approximate the historical Soviet figure.
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 million people died in World War II. That estimate equates to roughly 3-3.7% of Earth’s population at the time.
Civilian deaths significantly exceeded military losses in World War II. Aggregated national estimates indicate approximately 24.8 million military deaths, compared with about 52 million civilian deaths, including roughly 32.1 million from military activity and war crimes and 20 million from war-related famine and disease.
Countries with the Highest Total Casualties in World War II
The countries with the highest total World War II deaths are the Soviet Union (20 to 27 million), China (20M), Germany (7.4M), Poland (6M), Japan (3.1M), India (3.1M), the Philippines (1.4M), and Myanmar (1M).
The Soviet Union suffered the highest total losses of any country in World War II, with an estimated 26–27 million deaths. These losses included both military personnel and civilians, reflecting the war’s devastating impact across the Eastern Front and occupied territories. Much of the human toll occurred in regions that are now modern-day Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, which together accounted for the majority of Soviet-era casualties.
China is estimated to have endured the second-highest number of total casualties in WWII. Roughly 20 million people died in China. However, 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 approximately 7.4 million total deaths. Poland’s death toll includes an estimated 3.2 million Jewish civilians who died in Nazi concentration and death camps. The table above includes the total estimated casualties for every country involved in the war.
