01 / Wars
Death-toll leaderboard
Historical death-toll estimates vary widely across sources. Ranges are from Wikipedia List of wars by death toll and may include military and civilian deaths (including famine/disease attributed to war). Not official MilAPI statistics.
| Rank | Conflict | Period | Location | Low | High | Mid | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | World War II | 1939–1945 | Global | 70,000,000 | 85,000,000 | 77,500,000 | Wiki |
| 2 | Taiping Rebellion | 1850–1864 | China | 20,000,000 | 70,000,000 | 45,000,000 | Wiki |
| 3 | Mongol invasions and conquests | 1206–1368 | Asia and Europe | 20,000,000 | 60,000,000 | 40,000,000 | Wiki |
| 4 | Three Kingdoms | 184–280 | China | 34,000,000 | 34,000,000 | 34,000,000 | Wiki |
| 5 | Manchu Conquest of China | 1618–1683 | China | 25,000,000 | 25,000,000 | 25,000,000 | Wiki |
| 6 | World War I | 1914–1918 | Global | 15,000,000 | 22,000,000 | 18,500,000 | Wiki |
| 7 | An Lushan rebellion | 754–763 | China | 13,000,000 | 13,000,000 | 13,000,000 | Wiki |
| 8 | Conquests of Timur | 1369–1405 | Central Asia, West Asia, and South Asia | 7,000,000 | 17,000,000 | 12,000,000 | Wiki |
| 9 | Spanish conquest of Mexico | 1519–1530 | Mexico | 10,500,000 | 10,500,000 | 10,500,000 | Wiki |
| 10 | Russian Civil War | 1917–1922 | Russia | 7,000,000 | 10,000,000 | 8,500,000 | Wiki |
| 11 | Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire | 1533–1572 | South America | 7,700,000 | 7,700,000 | 7,700,000 | Wiki |
| 12 | Reconquista | 718–1492 | Iberian Peninsula | 7,000,000 | 7,000,000 | 7,000,000 | Wiki |
| 13 | Chinese Civil War | 1927–1949 | China | 4,000,000 | 9,000,000 | 6,500,000 | Wiki |
| 14 | Thirty Years' War | 1618–1648 | Europe | 4,500,000 | 8,000,000 | 6,250,000 | Wiki |
| 15 | French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars | 1792–1815 | Europe | 4,000,000 | 7,000,000 | 5,500,000 | Wiki |
| 16 | Conquests of Menelik II | 1878–1904 | Horn of Africa | 5,000,000 | 6,000,000 | 5,500,000 | Wiki |
| 17 | Spanish conquest of New Granada | 1525–1540 | South America | 5,250,000 | 5,250,000 | 5,250,000 | Wiki |
| 18 | Crusades | 1095–1291 | Europe and the Middle East | 1,000,000 | 9,000,000 | 5,000,000 | Wiki |
| 19 | Mahdist War | 1881–1899 | Sudan | 4,000,000 | 6,000,000 | 5,000,000 | Wiki |
| 20 | Deccan wars | 1680–1707 | South Asia | 4,600,000 | 5,000,000 | 4,800,000 | Wiki |
| 21 | Second Congo War | 1998–2003 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 3,000,000 | 5,400,000 | 4,200,000 | Wiki |
| 22 | Northern Wars | 1554–1721 | Eastern and Northern Europe | 3,570,000 | 4,570,000 | 4,070,000 | Wiki |
| 23 | Nigerian Civil War | 1967–1970 | Nigeria | 3,040,000 | 4,099,999 | 3,570,000 | Wiki |
| 24 | French Wars of Religion | 1562–1598 | France | 2,000,000 | 4,000,000 | 3,000,000 | Wiki |
| 25 | Korean War | 1950–1953 | Korean Peninsula | 2,500,000 | 3,500,000 | 3,000,000 | Wiki |
| 26 | Hundred Years' War | 1337–1453 | Western Europe | 2,300,000 | 3,500,000 | 2,900,000 | Wiki |
| 27 | Vietnam War | 1955–1975 | Indochina | 1,300,000 | 4,200,000 | 2,750,000 | Wiki |
| 28 | Soviet–Afghan War | 1979–1989 | Afghanistan | 1,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 2,000,000 | Wiki |
| 29 | Fang La Rebellion | 1120–1122 | China | 2,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 2,000,000 | Wiki |
| 30 | Ethiopian Civil War and Eritrean War of Independence | 1961–1991 | Horn of Africa | 1,750,000 | 2,000,000 | 1,875,000 | Wiki |
| 31 | Mexican Revolution | 1910–1920 | Mexico | 1,000,000 | 2,700,000 | 1,850,000 | Wiki |
| 32 | Delhi Conquest of North India | 1300–1310 | South Asia | 500,000 | 3,000,000 | 1,750,000 | Wiki |
| 33 | Russo-Circassian War and Caucasian War | 1763–1864 | Caucasus | 1,500,000 | 2,000,000 | 1,750,000 | Wiki |
| 34 | Bangladesh Liberation War | 1971–1971 | South Asia | 300,000 | 3,000,000 | 1,650,000 | Wiki |
| 35 | Second Sudanese Civil War | 1983–2005 | Sudan | 1,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 1,500,000 | Wiki |
| 36 | Tây Sơn wars | 1771–1802 | Indochina | 1,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 1,500,000 | Wiki |
| 37 | Akbar's Conquest of North India | 1556–1605 | South Asia | 1,000,000 | 2,000,000 | 1,500,000 | Wiki |
| 38 | Indian Rebellion of 1857 | 1857–1858 | South Asia | 800,000 | 2,000,000 | 1,400,000 | Wiki |
| 39 | Balkan Wars | 1912–1913 | Balkans | 750,000 | 1,770,000 | 1,260,000 | Wiki |
| 40 | Seven Years' War | 1756–1763 | Global | 1,000,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,250,000 | Wiki |
| 41 | French conquest of Algeria | 1830–1903 | North Africa | 980,000 | 1,480,000 | 1,230,000 | Wiki |
| 42 | Gallic Wars | 58 BCE–50 BCE | Gaul | 700,000 | 1,470,000 | 1,085,000 | Wiki |
| 43 | Warring States period and Qin's wars of unification | 475 BCE–221 BCE | China | 650,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,075,000 | Wiki |
| 44 | Algerian War | 1954–1962 | North Africa | 400,000 | 1,600,000 | 1,000,000 | Wiki |
| 45 | Wars of Alexander the Great | 336–323 BCE | West Asia and Central Asia | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | Wiki |
| 46 | Japanese invasions of Korea | 1592–1598 | Korean Peninsula | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | Wiki |
| 47 | Panthay Rebellion | 1856–1873 | China | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | Wiki |
| 48 | Great Northern War | 1700–1721 | Northern, Central and Eastern Europe | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | Wiki |
| 49 | Jewish–Roman wars | 66–135 | Fertile Crescent | 350,000 | 1,400,000 | 875,000 | Wiki |
| 50 | War of the Spanish Succession | 1701–1714 | Global | 400,000 | 1,250,000 | 825,000 | Wiki |
| 51 | American Civil War | 1861–1865 | North America | 600,000 | 1,000,000 | 800,000 | Wiki |
| 52 | Angolan Civil War | 1975–2002 | Angola | 800,000 | 800,000 | 800,000 | Wiki |
| 53 | Second Punic War | 218–201 BCE | Southern Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, and North Africa | 770,000 | 770,000 | 770,000 | Wiki |
| 54 | Mozambican Civil War | 1977–1992 | Mozambique | 500,000 | 1,000,000 | 750,000 | Wiki |
| 55 | First Sudanese Civil War | 1955–1972 | Sudan | 500,000 | 1,000,000 | 750,000 | Wiki |
| 56 | War of Austrian Succession | 1740–1748 | Europe, the Americas, and South Asia | 750,000 | 750,000 | 750,000 | Wiki |
| 57 | Third Punic War | 149–146 BCE | North Africa | 750,000 | 750,000 | 750,000 | Wiki |
| 58 | Nine Years' War | 1688–1697 | Europe | 680,000 | 680,000 | 680,000 | Wiki |
| 59 | Somali Civil War | 1981/1988/1991–present | Horn of Africa | 350,000 | 1,000,000 | 675,000 | Wiki |
| 60 | Burundian Civil War | 1993–2005 | Rwanda and Burundi | 550,000 | 800,000 | 675,000 | Wiki |
| 61 | Crimean War | 1853–1856 | Crimea, Black Sea, Caucasus, and the Balkans | 610,000 | 670,000 | 640,000 | Wiki |
| 62 | First Indochina War | 1946–1954 | Indochina | 400,000 | 840,000 | 620,000 | Wiki |
| 63 | Mexican War of Independence | 1810–1821 | North and Central America | 600,000 | 600,000 | 600,000 | Wiki |
| 64 | Bahmani–Vijayanagar Wars | 1362–1443 | South Asia | 600,000 | 600,000 | 600,000 | Wiki |
| 65 | Syrian civil war | 2011–2024 | Levant | 580,000 | 610,000 | 595,000 | Wiki |
| 66 | Burmese–Siamese wars | 1547–1855 | Southeast Asia | 260,000 | 900,000 | 580,000 | Wiki |
| 67 | Iran–Iraq War | 1980–1988 | Iran and Iraq | 450,000 | 700,000 | 575,000 | Wiki |
| 68 | Russo-Ukrainian War | 2014–present | Eastern Europe and the Black Sea | 350,000 | 750,000 | 550,000 | Wiki |
| 69 | Roman–Germanic wars | 113 BCE–774 | Germania | 540,000 | 540,000 | 540,000 | Wiki |
| 70 | Turkish War of Independence | 1919–1923 | Anatolia | 400,000 | 600,000 | 500,000 | Wiki |
| 71 | First Punic War | 264–241 BCE | Southern Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, and North Africa | 400,000 | 540,000 | 470,000 | Wiki |
| 72 | Colombian conflict | 1964–present | South America | 450,000 | 450,000 | 450,000 | Wiki |
| 73 | Franco-Prussian War | 1870–1871 | Central Europe | 430,000 | 430,000 | 430,000 | Wiki |
| 74 | Polish–Ottoman Wars | 1485–1699 | Central Europe and Balkans | 430,000 | 430,000 | 430,000 | Wiki |
| 75 | Roman–Greek wars | 280 BCE–30 BCE | Peloponnese Peninsula, Balkans, Anatolia, Egypt, and Italian Peninsula | 420,000 | 420,000 | 420,000 | Wiki |
| 76 | Spanish Civil War | 1936–1939 | Iberian Peninsula | 350,000 | 470,000 | 410,000 | Wiki |
| 77 | Maratha invasions of Bengal | 1741–1751 | South Asia | 400,000 | 400,000 | 400,000 | Wiki |
| 78 | Colombian War of Independence | 1810–1825 | South America | 400,000 | 400,000 | 400,000 | Wiki |
| 79 | Third Indochina War | 1975–1991 | Indochina | 400,000 | 400,000 | 400,000 | Wiki |
| 80 | War in Darfur | 2003–2020 | Sudan | 400,000 | 400,000 | 400,000 | Wiki |
| 81 | Cuban Wars of Independence and Spanish–American War | 1868–1898 | Caribbean and the Philippines | 390,000 | 390,000 | 390,000 | Wiki |
| 82 | Tigray War | 2020–2022 | Horn of Africa | 160,000 | 600,000 | 380,000 | Wiki |
| 83 | South Sudanese Civil War | 2013–2018 | South Sudan | 380,000 | 380,000 | 380,000 | Wiki |
| 84 | Mexican drug war | 2006–present | Mexico | 350,000 | 400,000 | 375,000 | Wiki |
| 85 | Yemeni civil war | 2014–present | Yemen | 370,000 | 370,000 | 370,000 | Wiki |
| 86 | War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) | 2001–2021 | Afghanistan | 360,000 | 360,000 | 360,000 | Wiki |
| 87 | Boko Haram insurgency | 2009–present | Nigeria | 350,000 | 350,000 | 350,000 | Wiki |
| 88 | Franco-Dutch War | 1672–1678 | Western Europe | 340,000 | 340,000 | 340,000 | Wiki |
| 89 | Ottoman–Venetian wars | 1415–1718 | Mediterranean Sea, Greece, and Cyprus | 340,000 | 340,000 | 340,000 | Wiki |
| 90 | Paraguayan War | 1864–1870 | South America | 150,000 | 500,000 | 325,000 | Wiki |
| 91 | Song–Đại Việt war | 1075–1077 | Indochina | 250,000 | 400,000 | 325,000 | Wiki |
| 92 | Liberian Civil Wars and Sierra Leone Civil War | 1989–2003 | West Africa | 300,000 | 320,000 | 310,000 | Wiki |
| 93 | Uganda–Tanzania War and Ugandan Bush War | 1978–1986 | Uganda and Tanzania | 100,000 | 500,000 | 300,000 | Wiki |
| 94 | Papua conflict | 1962–present | New Guinea | 100,000 | 500,000 | 300,000 | Wiki |
| 95 | Eighty Years' War | 1566–1648 | Low Countries | 100,000 | 500,000 | 300,000 | Wiki |
| 96 | Goguryeo–Sui War | 598–614 | Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | Wiki |
| 97 | Carlist Wars | 1833–1876 | Iberian Peninsula | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | Wiki |
| 98 | Cambodian Civil War | 1967–1975 | Indochina | 270,000 | 310,000 | 290,000 | Wiki |
| 99 | Iraqi conflict | 2003–2017 | Levant | 270,000 | 300,000 | 285,000 | Wiki |
| 100 | Kalinga War | 262–261 BCE | South Asia | 250,000 | 250,000 | 250,000 | Wiki |
Source: Wikipedia List of wars by death toll (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sorted by midpoint of reported ranges.