The war in numbers
Human losses, armies and war production in figures. Many are disputed: where sources differ we show the range of estimates, and every chart lists its sources.
- War deaths worldwide
- 60–85m
- Military and civilian, incl. famine and disease; most often 70–85 m, conservatively over 60 m
- Polish citizens killed
- 5.6–5.8m
- IPN estimate, 2009
- Jews murdered in the Holocaust
- 5.5–6m
- USHMM: c. 6 m
- Days of war
- 2,194
- 1 Sep 1939 to 2 Sep 1945 inclusive (computed: 2,193 days apart + 1)
Deaths
The deadliest conflict in history.
Second World War deaths by country
Military and civilian dead combined, within the wartime borders of each state (Germany in its 1937 borders, without Austria), including Holocaust victims; where marked, also deaths from war-induced famine and disease. The range is the spread of estimates in the cited sources.
low estimaterange of estimates
- Soviet Union20–27m
- China14–20m
- Germany6.6–8.8m
- Poland5.6–5.8m
- Dutch East Indies (Indonesia)3–4m
- Japan2.5–3.1m
- India1.5–3.1m
- French Indochina1–2.2m
- Yugoslavia1–1.7m
- Hungary464–864k
- Romania500–833k
- Greece300–807k
- France568–600k
- Italy457–514k
- United Kingdom451–470k
- United States419–419k
Table and sources
| from | to | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soviet UnionIncl. famine and disease (8–9 m); official Russian figure: 26.6 m within post-war borders | 20,000,000 | 27,000,000 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
| China1937–1945, incl. famine; official Chinese figures are higher | 14,000,000 | 20,000,000 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
| Germany1937 borders; c. 5.3 m military dead (Overmans) | 6,600,000 | 8,800,000 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
| PolandCitizens of pre-war Poland, IPN 2009 estimate; older and newer estimates up to c. 6 m | 5,620,000 | 5,820,000 | dzieje.pl · nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org |
| Dutch East Indies (Indonesia)Mostly civilians: famine and forced labour under Japanese occupation | 3,000,000 | 4,000,000 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
| Japan1937–1945, incl. victims of bombing and the atomic attacks | 2,500,000 | 3,100,000 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
| IndiaMostly the 1943–1944 Bengal famine; c. 87–90 k military dead | 1,500,000 | 3,100,000 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
| French IndochinaMostly the 1944–1945 famine in Vietnam | 1,000,000 | 2,200,000 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
| Yugoslavia1.7 m is the post-war official figure; demographers estimate c. 1 m | 1,000,000 | 1,700,000 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
| HungaryIncl. murdered Hungarian Jews | 464,000 | 864,000 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
| RomaniaWartime borders; incl. murdered Jews | 500,000 | 833,000 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
| GreeceIncl. the 1941–1942 famine (300–600 k) | 300,000 | 807,000 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
| France | 567,600 | 600,000 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
| Italy | 457,000 | 514,000 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
| United KingdomExcluding the dominions and colonies | 450,700 | 470,000 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
| United StatesAlmost entirely military | 418,500 | 419,400 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · zpe.gov.pl |
Deaths as a share of the pre-war population
Military and civilian dead as a share of the 1939 population (USSR: 1940, post-war borders; Germany: incl. Austria). The range is the spread between sources, which differ in death totals and population base. Only countries for which at least two sources give the share.
low estimaterange of estimates
- Poland16.9–17.2%
- Soviet Union10.4–13.7%
- Greece7–11.2%
- Yugoslavia6.6–11%
- Germany8.3–9.5%
- Hungary3–9.5%
- Japan2.7–4.3%
- China2–3.9%
- Romania3.1–3.4%
- France1.4–1.9%
- Italy0.9–1.2%
- United Kingdom0.8–0.9%
- United States0.3–0.4%
Table and sources
| from | to | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 16.9 | 17.2 | en.wikipedia.org · historyplace.com |
| Soviet Union13.7% per Russian data (26.6 m) | 10.4 | 13.7 | en.wikipedia.org · historyplace.com |
| GreeceIncl. famine | 7 | 11.2 | en.wikipedia.org · historyplace.com |
| Yugoslavia | 6.6 | 11 | en.wikipedia.org · historyplace.com |
| GermanyIncl. Austria | 8.3 | 9.5 | en.wikipedia.org · historyplace.com |
| HungarySpread depends on whether Holocaust victims are counted | 3 | 9.5 | en.wikipedia.org · historyplace.com |
| Japan | 2.7 | 4.3 | en.wikipedia.org · historyplace.com |
| China | 2 | 3.9 | en.wikipedia.org · historyplace.com |
| Romania | 3.1 | 3.4 | en.wikipedia.org · historyplace.com |
| France | 1.4 | 1.9 | en.wikipedia.org · historyplace.com |
| Italy | 0.9 | 1.2 | en.wikipedia.org · historyplace.com |
| United Kingdom | 0.8 | 0.9 | en.wikipedia.org · historyplace.com |
| United States | 0.3 | 0.4 | en.wikipedia.org · historyplace.com |
Poland and the Holocaust
Roughly one in six citizens of the Second Polish Republic did not survive the war.
Losses of Polish citizens, 1939–1945
Citizens of the Second Republic within its pre-September-1939 borders. Rows are not additive: the first is the total, the next three (Jews, Poles under German occupation, Soviet victims) are its main components, the rest are subsets (victims of the UPA, soldiers).
low estimaterange of estimates
- Total (IPN estimate, 2009)5.6–5.8m
- Polish Jews2.7–3m
- Poles and other citizens under German occupation1.5–2.8m
- Victims of Soviet occupation150–500k
- Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists50–100k
- Soldiers killed in September 193966–97k
- Soldiers killed in the whole war240–250k
Table and sources
| from | to | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total (IPN estimate, 2009)Materski and Szarota; IPN later suggested close to 6 m | 5,620,000 | 5,820,000 | dzieje.pl · en.wikipedia.org · nationalww2museum.org |
| Polish JewsMurdered by the Germans; over 1.86 m in the death camps | 2,700,000 | 3,000,000 | dzieje.pl · dzieje.pl · en.wikipedia.org |
| Poles and other citizens under German occupationIPN: over 2.7 m; P.M. Majewski: 1.5–2 m; USHMM: c. 1.8 m ethnic Poles | 1,500,000 | 2,770,000 | dzieje.pl · dzieje.pl · en.wikipedia.org |
| Victims of Soviet occupationIPN: at least 150 k (incl. Katyn, c. 22 k); Majewski: c. 500 k | 150,000 | 500,000 | dzieje.pl · dzieje.pl · en.wikipedia.org |
| Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalistsVolhynia and Eastern Galicia, 1943–1945 | 50,000 | 100,000 | dzieje.pl · en.wikipedia.org |
| Soldiers killed in September 1939BOW: c. 66 k killed fighting the Germans; IPN 2009: 95–97 k; some sources up to 120 k | 66,000 | 97,000 | pl.wikipedia.org · ofiary.ipn.gov.pl · en.wikipedia.org |
| Soldiers killed in the whole warAll formations, 1939–1945 | 240,000 | 250,000 | nationalww2museum.org · zpe.gov.pl · en.wikipedia.org |
Victims of the German death camps and mass shootings
People murdered at each site, overwhelmingly Jews (Auschwitz: all victims, incl. c. 1 m Jews). The range is the spread of current estimates; older post-war figures were higher.
low estimaterange of estimates
- Mass shootings in the occupied Soviet territories1.5–2m
- Auschwitz-Birkenau1.1m
- Treblinka800–925k
- Bełżec435–453k
- Sobibór167–250k
- Chełmno (Kulmhof)152–200k
- Majdanek78–80k
Table and sources
| from | to | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mass shootings in the occupied Soviet territoriesJews killed by the Einsatzgruppen, police, Wehrmacht and auxiliaries (incl. gas vans) | 1,500,000 | 2,000,000 | encyclopedia.ushmm.org · encyclopedia.ushmm.org · en.wikipedia.org |
| Auschwitz-BirkenauC. 1 m Jews, 70 k Poles, 21 k Roma, 15 k Soviet POWs | 1,100,000 | 1,100,000 | auschwitz.org · encyclopedia.ushmm.org · en.wikipedia.org |
| Treblinka | 800,000 | 925,000 | encyclopedia.ushmm.org · encyclopedia.ushmm.org · en.wikipedia.org |
| BełżecHöfle telegram: 434,508 by end of 1942; Kuwałek 440–453 k; older estimates up to 600 k | 435,000 | 453,000 | encyclopedia.ushmm.org · encyclopedia.ushmm.org · en.wikipedia.org |
| Sobibór | 167,000 | 250,000 | encyclopedia.ushmm.org · encyclopedia.ushmm.org · en.wikipedia.org |
| Chełmno (Kulmhof)Older Polish estimates: over 300 k | 152,000 | 200,000 | encyclopedia.ushmm.org · encyclopedia.ushmm.org · en.wikipedia.org |
| MajdanekIncl. c. 59–60 k Jews (Kranz); older estimates 235–360 k | 78,000 | 80,000 | majdanek.eu · en.wikipedia.org |
Armies and the sea
How many were under arms – and what the Atlantic cost.
Peak strength of the armed forces
Strength of all armed services in the year it peaked; for the great powers from M. Harrison's table (1998), annual averages or mid-year strengths. The Polish formations are 1945 strengths.
low estimaterange of estimates
- USSR12m
- United States11–12m
- Germany9.5m
- Japan7.7m
- United Kingdom5.1m
- France5m
- Italy3.8m
- Polish Army in the East300–370k
- Polish Armed Forces in the West195–228k
Table and sources
| from | to | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| USSR1944; incl. men in hospital; one academic source (Harrison, after the Soviet official history) | 12,225,000 | 12,225,000 | warwick.ac.uk · en.wikipedia.org |
| United States1945; low Harrison (annual average), high National WWII Museum (peak strength) | 11,430,000 | 12,209,238 | warwick.ac.uk · nationalww2museum.org |
| Germany1943; Wehrmacht incl. Waffen-SS (Müller 2016; Förster et al. 1995) | 9,480,000 | 9,480,000 | warwick.ac.uk · en.wikipedia.org |
| Japan1945; Harrison averages two Japanese series; the army alone had c. 6.1 million in August 1945 | 7,730,000 | 7,730,000 | warwick.ac.uk · en.wikipedia.org |
| United Kingdom1945; excluding Dominion and Indian forces; one academic source | 5,090,000 | 5,090,000 | warwick.ac.uk |
| France1939, after mobilisation ("just under 5 million" in the army, after Kedward); Harrison assumes 7 million with colonial troops in 1940 | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | warwick.ac.uk |
| Italy1943; V. Zamagni's figures in Harrison; one academic source | 3,815,000 | 3,815,000 | warwick.ac.uk |
| Polish Army in the EastMay 1945; dzieje.pl: "almost 300,000" at the end of the war, Polish Wikipedia: 370,000 in May 1945 (440,000 in September, after the war) | 300,000 | 370,000 | dzieje.pl · pl.wikipedia.org |
| Polish Armed Forces in the WestMay–July 1945; 195,000 at the end of the war, 200–210,000 at the end of May (PWN), 211,000 in June (Zaćmiński), 228,000 in July with freed POWs | 195,000 | 228,000 | en.wikipedia.org · pl.wikipedia.org · rcin.org.pl |
German U-boats
U-boats commissioned up to May 1945, and U-boats lost during the war (in action, to mines, in air raids, in accidents, missing), excluding boats scuttled at the surrender, surrendered, and sunk by the Allies after the war.
low estimaterange of estimates
- Commissioned1,153–1,181
- Lost during the war724–785
Table and sources
| from | to | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioneduboat.net: 1,153 boats (incl. a dozen foreign and uncommissioned ones); Haskell and Middlebrook: 1,181 | 1,153 | 1,181 | uboat.net · en.wikipedia.org |
| Lost during the waruboat.net: 1,154 losses in all, less 238 scuttled, 155 surrendered and 37 paid off = 724; Haskell/Middlebrook: 785 | 724 | 785 | uboat.net · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org |
Production
A war of factories: aircraft and tanks, 1939–1945.
Aircraft production 1939–1945
All types of military aircraft (combat, trainers, transports), 1939–1945, including before entry into the war. Table after J. Ellis and R. Overy; combat aircraft only, while at war, per Harrison: USA 192,000, USSR 112,000, UK 95,000, Germany 90,000, Japan 55,000.
low estimaterange of estimates
- United States300–325k
- USSR157k
- United Kingdom132k
- Germany119–120k
- Japan76k
- Italy11–13k
Table and sources
| from | to | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United StatesNational WWII Museum: c. 300,000 in 45 months of war; Ellis/Overy table: 324,750 (the yearly figures in that table sum to 314,317) | 300,000 | 324,750 | nationalww2museum.org · en.wikipedia.org · warwick.ac.uk |
| USSR1939–1945; of which 136,000 from June 1941; Wikipedia (Ellis) only – Harrison gives combat aircraft only (112,000) | 157,261 | 157,261 | en.wikipedia.org · warwick.ac.uk |
| United Kingdom1941–1945 yearly figures agree in both sources | 131,549 | 131,549 | en.wikipedia.org · nationalww2museum.org |
| Germanythe difference comes from the 1941–1944 figures (National WWII Museum) | 119,371 | 119,871 | en.wikipedia.org · nationalww2museum.org |
| Japan1941–1945 yearly figures agree in both sources | 76,320 | 76,320 | en.wikipedia.org · nationalww2museum.org |
| Italy1939–1943; high figure V. Zamagni's in Harrison | 11,122 | 13,300 | en.wikipedia.org · warwick.ac.uk |
Tank and self-propelled gun production
Tanks and self-propelled guns (incl. assault guns and tank destroyers), excluding armoured cars and carriers. Low: Harrison's table (months at war only); high: tables covering 1939–1945 and a wider range of self-propelled guns.
low estimaterange of estimates
- United States100–108k
- USSR103–105k
- Germany46–67k
- United Kingdom28–29k
- Japan4,524–4,800
- Italy3,000–3,368
Table and sources
| from | to | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Stateslow Dec. 1941–Aug. 1945, high 1939–1945; tanks alone c. 88,000 | 99,500 | 108,410 | warwick.ac.uk · en.wikipedia.org · historynet.com |
| USSRJune 1941–Aug. 1945 | 102,800 | 105,251 | warwick.ac.uk · en.wikipedia.org · historynet.com |
| Germanythe spread depends on how many self-propelled guns are counted; tanks alone c. 36–46,000 (Parshall) | 46,300 | 67,429 | warwick.ac.uk · en.wikipedia.org · historynet.com |
| United Kingdomexcluding Canada and the rest of the Empire | 27,896 | 29,300 | warwick.ac.uk · en.wikipedia.org |
| Japan | 4,524 | 4,800 | warwick.ac.uk · en.wikipedia.org · historynet.com |
| Italy1940–1943; Parshall gives a broader 4–5,000 | 3,000 | 3,368 | warwick.ac.uk · en.wikipedia.org · historynet.com |