verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Estimates of the total number of people killed during World War II have ranged from 35,000,000 to 60,000,000—a significant span, because statistics about the war’s casualties are inexact. The Soviet Union and China are believed to have suffered the most total casualties, while an estimated 5,800,000 Poles died, which represents about 20 percent of Poland’s prewar population. About 4,200,000 Germans died, and about 1,972,000 Japanese died. In all, the scale of human losses during World War II was vast. A table that details estimated deaths by country is available here.
Related Questions
- What was the cause of World War II?
- What were the turning points of World War II?
- How did World War II end?
- What was Dwight D. Eisenhower’s family like?
- Where was Dwight D. Eisenhower educated?
- How did Dwight D. Eisenhower become famous?
- When was Dwight D. Eisenhower president?
- Should the United States maintain the embargo initiated by Dwight D. Eisenhower against Cuba?
