World War 2 was the bloodiest conflict in human history. There were more than 60 million World War 2 casualties resulting in death which at the time was more than 2.5% of the overall world population. The war was notable for the Nazi-sponsored genocide of the Jewish peoples resulting in more than 5.9 million deaths, and the impact of “Total War” on the world’s population.

History of Accounting for the War Dead from World War 2

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, there has been a significant amount of research conducted regarding the topic of World War 2 casualties with the resulting opening of previously closed scholarly resources. Current estimates now show that the number of war dead within the postwar borders total 26.6 million individuals. Within Poland, the IPN (Polish Institute of National Remembrance) places their estimated war dead between 5.6 and 5.8 million people. Depending on the definitions placed on deaths or casualties that resulted from warfare or crimes against humanity by historians, the figures will vary across resources.

World War 2 Casualties (Pie Chart)

World War 2 Casualty Tables

The totals listed are approximate and based on a variety of sources.

World War 2 Total Deaths

COUNTRY CASUALTIES Soviet Union 26,600,000 China 15,000,000 Germany 7,728,000 Poland 5,700,000 Japan 2,700,000 India 2,087,000 Yugoslavia 1,027,000 Rumania 833,000 Hungary 580,000 France 567,600 Greece 560,000 Italy 456,000 Great Britain 449,800 United States 418,500 Czechoslovakia 345,000 Netherlands 301,000 Austria 123,700 Finland 97,000 Belgium 86,100 Canada 45,300 Australia 40,500 Bulgaria 25,000 New Zealand 11,900 South Africa 11,900 Norway 9,500 Spain 4,500 Denmark 3,200 TOTAL: 65,811,500

World War 2 Casualties (Military Deaths)

NATION CASUALTIES Soviet Union 9,750,000 Germany 5,533,000 China 3,500,000 Japan 2,120,000 Yugoslavia 446,000 United States 416,800 Great Britain 382,700 Italy 301,400 Rumania 300,000 Poland 240,000 France 217,600 Finland 95,000 India 87,000 Philippines 57,000 Canada 45,300 Australia 39,800 Bulgaria 22,000 Netherlands 21,000 Belgium 12,100 New Zealand 11,900 South Africa 11,900 Spain 4,500 Norway 3,000 Denmark 2,100 TOTAL: 23,620,100

World War 2 Jewish Deaths By Country

COUNTRY CASUALTIES Poland 3,000,000 Ukraine 900,000 Hungary 450,000 Russia 352,000 Romania 300,000 Baltic Countries 228,000 Germany/Austria 210,000 Netherlands 105,000 France 90,000 Slovakia 75,000 Greece 54,000 Belgium 40,000 Yugoslavia 26,000 Bulgaria 14,000 Italy 8,000 Luxembourg 1,000 Norway 900 TOTAL: 5,907,900

U.S. Military World War 2 Medal of Honor Recipients

The U.S. Medal of Honor was first created during the U.S. Civil War and is the highest military award or decoration presented by the

government to members of the armed forces. In order to receive the medal, the individual must have put their own life at risk while performing beyond the call of duty against an enemy of the U.S. Based on the nature of the medal it is commonly awarded posthumously (after death). During World War 2 a total of 464 Medal of Honors were awarded with 266 of those posthumously. 42 of the medals were awarded for action during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (15) and 27 during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The only Medal of Honor ever awarded to a member of the US Coast Guard was during World War 2.

ARMY USN USMC USAAF USCG POSTHUMOUS TOTAL 324 57 82 0 1 266 464

World War 2 Casualties (Civilian Deaths)

As time moves on, and previously closed records become released the full toll of World War 2 on the civilian populations has become better recognized. Specifically, the fall of Communism and the opening of records in the former Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and other countries have helped modern historians make a better accounting of the number of civilian casualties suffered during World War 2. The totals below should be treated as approximate figures.

COUNTRY CASUALTIES China 11,500,000 Soviet Union 13,204,000 Poland 2,400,000 Germany 2,035,000 India 2,000,000 Philippines 750,000 Japan 580,000 Yugoslavia 514,000 France 267,000 Netherlands 176,000 Italy 145,100 Great Britain 67,100 Rumania 64,000 Austria 58,700 Belgium 49,600 Spain 10,000 Norway 5,800 Bulgaria 3,000 Finland 2,000 United States 1,700 TOTAL: 33,833,000

World War 2 Casualties Video

World War 2 Casualty Resources

The U.S. National Archives has a number of World War 2 Casualty resources that range across the U.S. Armed Forces as well as a number of records regarding other nations. The official U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Records branch (Bureau of Naval Personnel) still maintains the Navy and Marine Corps’ 1947 IBM printout arranged chronologically by campaign annotating the official World War 2 casualty accounting. Listed beneath each campaign are the ships and units in alphabetic order followed by the personnel casualties by last number. Each sailor or marine’s service number, rank, rate, casualty code, and date of casualty are listed. The original and supplementary records have since been transferred to the Modern Military Branch, National Archives and Records Administration located at: 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001.