Introduction
World War II (WWII) was the largest and deadliest conflict in world history. The conflict started in 1939 when Nazi Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, invaded Poland. The war involved the vast majority of the world’s countries and ended in 1945 when Germany and Japan surrendered. While the war was fought between the Allies (Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union) and the Axis (Germany, Italy, and Japan); casualties were taken by countries across the world and between both soldiers and civilians. In fact, in countries like the Soviet Union, nearly twice as many civilians died as soldiers. It is estimated that a total of 70 to 85 million people died during the conflict.
A country’s casualties are the total number of persons – both military and civilian – who were hurt or killed during World War II. This number may be broken down to differentiate deaths versus injuries and/or civilians versus soldiers. Military casualties include battle deaths and injuries, missing military, accidents, diseases and deaths of prisoners. Civilian casualties include Holocaust victims, war crimes, population transfers, and war-related famine and diseases.
Learn for yourself about World War II casualties by country by investigating the map and charts.
| # | Country | World War II Casualties | D-Day Casualties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 130,000,016 | |
| 2 | Russia | 11,000,000 | |
| 3 | Germany | 3,500,000 | 6,000 |
| 4 | People's Republic of China | 1,310,224 | |
| 5 | Romania | 300,000 | |
| 6 | United States of America | 292,131 | 2,499 |
| 7 | United Kingdom | 264,443 | 3,300 |
| 8 | Italy | 242,232 | |
| 9 | France | 213,324 | |
| 10 | Hungary | 200,000 | |
| 11 | Poland | 123,178 | |
| 12 | Greece | 88,300 | |
| 13 | Finland | 82,000 | |
| 14 | Canada | 37,476 | 946 |
| 15 | Philippines | 27,000 | |
| 16 | India | 24,338 | |
| 17 | Australia | 23,365 | |
| 18 | Belgium | 12,000 | |
| 19 | New Zealand | 10,033 | |
| 20 | Bulgaria | 10,000 | |
| 21 | Netherlands | 7,900 | |
| 22 | South Africa | 6,840 | |
| 23 | Norway | 3,000 | |
| 24 | Denmark | 1,800 | |
| 25 | Brazil | 943 |
World War II Casualties by Country
Australia
World War II Casualties
23,365
Ranked in the World
#17
Belgium
World War II Casualties
12,000
Ranked in the World
#18
Brazil
World War II Casualties
943
Ranked in the World
#25
Bulgaria
World War II Casualties
10,000
Ranked in the World
#20
Canada
World War II Casualties
37,476
Ranked in the World
#14
946
Ranked in the World
#4
Denmark
World War II Casualties
1,800
Ranked in the World
#24
Finland
World War II Casualties
82,000
Ranked in the World
#13
France
World War II Casualties
213,324
Ranked in the World
#9
Germany
World War II Casualties
3,500,000
Ranked in the World
#3
6,000
Ranked in the World
#1
Greece
World War II Casualties
88,300
Ranked in the World
#12
Hungary
World War II Casualties
200,000
Ranked in the World
#10
India
World War II Casualties
24,338
Ranked in the World
#16
Italy
World War II Casualties
242,232
Ranked in the World
#8
Japan
World War II Casualties
130,000,016
Ranked in the World
#1
Netherlands
World War II Casualties
7,900
Ranked in the World
#21
New Zealand
World War II Casualties
10,033
Ranked in the World
#19
Norway
World War II Casualties
3,000
Ranked in the World
#23
People's Republic of China
World War II Casualties
1,310,224
Ranked in the World
#4
Philippines
World War II Casualties
27,000
Ranked in the World
#15
Poland
World War II Casualties
123,178
Ranked in the World
#11
Romania
World War II Casualties
300,000
Ranked in the World
#5
Russia
World War II Casualties
11,000,000
Ranked in the World
#2
South Africa
World War II Casualties
6,840
Ranked in the World
#22
United Kingdom
World War II Casualties
264,443
Ranked in the World
#7
3,300
Ranked in the World
#2
United States of America
World War II Casualties
292,131
Ranked in the World
#6
2,499
Ranked in the World
#3
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