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List of wars by death toll

This list of wars by death toll includes all deaths that are either directly or indirectly caused by the war. These numbers usually include the deaths of military personnel which are the direct results of a battle or other military wartime actions, as well as the wartime/war-related deaths of civilians which are the results of war-induced epidemics, famines, atrocities, genocide, etc.

Pre-modern (before 1500 AD)

Ancient wars (before 500 AD)

Note 1: The geometric mean is the middle of the quoted range, taken by multiplying together the endpoints and then taking the square root.

Medieval wars (500–1500 AD)

Note: the identity of a single "war" cannot be reliably given in some cases, and some "wars" can be taken to last over more than a human lifetime, e.g. "Reconquista" (711–1492, 781 years) "Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent" (12th to 16th c., 500 years) "Crusades" (ten or more campaigns during the period 1095–1291, 196 years), "Mongol invasions and conquests" (1206–1368, 162 years), "early Muslim conquests" (622–750, 128 years), "Hundred Years' War" (1337–1453, 116 years).

Modern

Modern (1500 AD–present) wars with greater than 25,000 deaths

Modern wars with fewer than 25,000 deaths by death toll

22,211 – Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995)
22,000+ – Dominican Restoration War (1863–1865)
21,000+ – Six-Day War (1967)
20,068 – Reform War (1857–1860)
20,000+ – Yaqui Wars (1533–1929)
20,000+ – War of the Quadruple Alliance (1718–1720)
20,000+ – Ragamuffin War (1835–1845)
20,000+ – Italo-Turkish War (1911–1912)
20,000 – Anglo-Spanish War (1727–1729)
19,619+ – Rhodesian Bush War (1964–1979)
19,000+ – Mexican–American War (1846–1848)
18,069–20,069 – First Opium War (1839–1842)
17,200+ – First Anglo-Afghan War (1839–1842)
16,765–17,065 – Balochistan conflict (1948–present)
16,000+ – War of the Pacific (1879–1883)
16,000+ – Nepalese Civil War (1996–2006)
16,000+ – Spanish–American War (1898)
15,200–15,300 – Peasants' War (1798) – Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
15,000+ – Nigerian Sharia conflict (2009–present)
15,000 – Anglo-Spanish War (1654–1660)
14,460–14,922 – South African Border War (1966–1990)
14,077–22,077 – Mau Mau rebellion (1952–1960)
13,929+ – Republic of the Congo Civil War (1997–1999)
13,812+ – Naxalite–Maoist insurgency (1967–present)
13,100–34,000 – Kurdish separatism in Iran (1918–present)
13,073–26,373 – 1948 Arab–Israeli War (1948–1949)
11,500–12,843 – Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 – Part of the Bangladesh Liberation War
11,342–89,000 – Malagasy Uprising (1947–1948)
10,700–14,300 – Yom Kippur War (1973)
10,000+ – Assam separatist movements (1979–present)
10,000+ – Malayan Emergency (1948–1960)
10,000+ – War in Donbas – Part of the Russian military intervention in Ukraine (2014–present)
10,000+ – First Italo-Ethiopian War (1894–1896)
10,000+ – Second Melillan campaign (1909)
10,000+ – Hispano-Moroccan War (1859–1860)
10,000+ – Spanish conquest of Tripoli (1510)
9,400+ – Libyan Civil War (2011) (2011)
8,136+ – Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013)
7,500–21,741 – War of 1812 (1812–1815)
7,400–16,200 – Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) (2014–present)
7,050+ – Portuguese conquest of Goa (1510)
7,104+ – Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 (1947–1949)
7,000+ – Chadian Civil War (2005–2010) (2005–2010)
6,800–13,459 – Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 (1965)
6,859+ – 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (2020–2024)
5,641–6,991 – Opposition–Islamic State conflict during the Syrian civil war (2014–present)
6,543+ – South Thailand insurgency (2004–present)
6,295+ – Central African Republic conflict (2012–present)
6,000+ – Permesta Rebellion (1958–1961)
5,641+ – Sudanese nomadic conflicts (2009–present)
5,100+ – Gaza–Israel conflict (2006–Present) – Part of the Arab–Israeli conflict
5,000+ – Casamance conflict (1982–2014)
5,000+ – Chilean Civil War of 1891 (1891)
5,000+ – Cuban Revolution (1953–1959)
5,000 – War of the Reunions (1683–1684)
4,715+ – Libyan Civil War (2014–2020) (2014–2020)
4,275 – Dominican Civil War (1965)
4,200+ – Shifta War (1963–1967)
4,000–10,000 – Conflict in the Niger Delta (2003–present)
4,000 – War of Devolution (1667–1668)
3,699+ – Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen (1998–present)
3,552+ – First Schleswig War (1848–1852)
3,529+ – The Northern Ireland Troubles (1966–1998)
3,366+ – Insurgency in the North Caucasus (2009–2017)
3,270+ – Second Schleswig War (1864)
3,222–3,722 – Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (1956)
3,144+ – Allied Democratic Forces insurgency (1996–present)
3,114+ – 1947–1948 civil war in Mandatory Palestine (1947–1948) – Part of the 1948 Palestine war
3,007+ – War of the Golden Stool (1900)
3,000–6,000 – Negro Rebellion (1912)
3,000–5,000 – Croatian–Slovene Peasant Revolt (1573)
3,000 – 1958 Lebanon crisis (1958)
3,000+ – Second Ivorian Civil War (2010–2011)
3,000+ – Banana Wars (1914–1933)
3,000+ – Dominican War of Independence (1844)
2,800+ – Northern Mali conflict (2012–present)
2,781+ – Iranian Revolution (1978–1979)
2,751+ – Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919)
2,557+ – Sudan internal conflict (2011–2020) (2011–2020)
2,394+ – Sinai insurgency (2011–2023)
2,300+ – Conflict in the Niger Delta (2003–present)
2,270–2,971 – Second Opium War (1856–1860)
2,221–2,406 – 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict (2014) – Part of the Gaza–Israel conflict
2,150+ – Persian expedition of 1796 (1796)
2,096+ – Aden Emergency (1963–1967)
2,054+ – South Yemen insurgency (2009–2015)
2,014 – Irish War of Independence (1919–1921)
2,000–3,800 – Albanian civil unrest (1997)
2,000+ – Costa Rican civil war (1948)
2,000+ – Six-Day War (2000) (2000)
2,000+ – 2010 South Kyrgyzstan ethnic clashes (2010)
2,000 – Iran crisis of 1946 (1946)
1,817+ – Mexican Border War (1910–1919)
1,810+ – Anglo-Iraqi War (1941) – Part of World War II
1,774+ – Lapland War (1944–1945) – Part of World War II
1,648 – Sinaloa Cartel–Gulf Cartel conflict (2004–present)
1,643–2,237 – Transnistria War (1992)
1,600+ – Texas Revolution (1835–1836)
1,561 – Islamic State-related terrorist attacks in Turkey (2013–present)
1,500+ – Irish Civil War (1922–1923)
1,480 – Ifni War (1957–1958)
1,444 – Taliban-ISIL conflict in Afghanistan (2015–present)
1,300+ – Allied Democratic Forces insurgency (1996–present)
1,295+ – Siachen conflict (1984–2011)
1,229+ – Basque conflict (1959–2011)
1,227–5,600 – Kargil War (1999)
1,000–1,500 – Cabinda conflict (1994–present)
1,000+ – Djiboutian Civil War (1991–1994)
1,000+ – 1991–1992 South Ossetia War (1991–1992)
1,000+ – Xinjiang conflict (1930–present)
1,000+ – Chincha Islands War (1864–1866)
1,000+ – Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict (2015–present) – Part of the Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)
1,000 – Second Mafia War (1980–1983)
968+ – Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961)
907 – Falklands War (1982)
898 – Barbary Wars (1801–1815)
864 – Jamaican political conflict (1943–present)
850 – Syrian civil war spillover in Lebanon (2011–2017) – Part of the Syrian Civil War
846 – 2011 Egyptian revolution (2011)
818 – Korean DMZ Conflict (1966–1969)
808 – Sino-Russian border conflicts (1652–1689)
789–1,874 – 2001–2002 India–Pakistan standoff (2001–2002)
771 – Insurgency in Egypt (2013–present) (2013–present)
740 – Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation (1963–1966)
722 – Kamwina Nsapu rebellion (2016–2019)
700–800 – Anglo-Aro War (1901–1902)
638–838 – Operation Just Cause (1989–1990)
670+ Infighting in the Gulf Cartel (2010–present)
659–2,496 – Russo–Georgian War (2008)
650+ – Infighting in Los Zetas (2010–present)
643–1,500 – Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile (2011–present)
621 – Second 'Ndrangheta war (1985-1991)
316 – Chiapas conflict (1994–1996)
302 – Operation Uphold Democracy (1994–1995)
300+ – Islamic Army–Al-Qaeda conflict (2006–2007)
547 – Cyprus Emergency (1955–1959)
542 – East Prigorodny Conflict (1992)
500 – Anglo-Zanzibar War (1896)
483–494 – 2007 Lebanon conflict
422 – Franco-Thai War (1940–1941)
327 – RENAMO insurgency (2013–2021)
275–569 – Second Afar insurgency (1995–2018) Part of the Eritrean–Ethiopian border conflict
247 – Cortina Troubles (1859–1861)
246–353 – Korean Expedition (1871)
236 – Batwa–Luba clashes (2013–2018)
233 – First 'Ndrangheta war (1974–1976)
233 – Anglophone Crisis (2017–present)
217 – Cuban invasion of the Dominican Republic (1959)
213–523+ – Jebel Akhdar War (1954–1959)
206–345 – Arab separatism in Khuzestan (1922–2022)
200+ – 1967 Opium War (1967)
200 – 1935 Yazidi revolt (1935)
174–194 – United States occupation of Veracruz (1914)
164 – Red Sea Crisis (2023–Present)
162 – Quebec Biker War (1994–2002)
159 – Islamic State insurgency in Tunisia (2015–2022)
141 – 2006 São Paulo violence outbreak (2006)
126 – Kasese clashes (2016)
125 – Attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria (2023–present)
115 – Pool War (2016–2017)
112 – Operation Urgent Fury (1983)
108 – Islamist insurgency in Mozambique (2017–present)
102–227 – 2016–2018 India–Pakistan border skirmishes (2016–2018)
99–500 – Sand War (1963–1964)
95 – 2013 Guinea clashes (2013)
84–134 – 2013 Lahad Datu standoff (2013)
82 – Quasi-War (1798–1800)
82 – North-West Rebellion (1885)
80+ – Las Cuevas War (1875)
71 – Paraguayan People's Army insurgency (2005–present)
70+ – DHKP/C insurgency in Turkey (1990–2022)
63–77 – Operation El Dorado Canyon (1986)
63 – Ten-Day War (1991)
56+ – Dissident Irish Republican campaign (1998–present)
50 – Second Samoan Civil War (1898–1899)
46 – Annexation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli (1954)
45+ – 2020–2021 China–India skirmishes (2020–2021)
41 – 2010 Rio de Janeiro security crisis (2010)
39–111 – 2014–2015 India–Pakistan border skirmishes (2014–2015)
37 – 2013 India–Pakistan border skirmishes (2013)
36 – 2016 Niger Delta conflict (2016–Present) – Part of the Conflict in the Niger Delta
20 – 2024 Ecuadorian conflict (2024–Present)
12–61 – 2017 Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmish (2017) – Part of the Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmishes
11–30 – 2008 Kufra conflict (2008)
11 – 2024 Iran–Pakistan border skirmishes (2024)
8–16 – 2011 India–Pakistan border skirmish (2011)

Charts and graphs

Notes

References

Works cited

Carlton, Charles (2002). Going to the Wars: The Experience of the British Civil Wars 1638-1651. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-203-42558-9.
Čečuk, Božidar (March 1960). "Tragom poginulih seljaka u Seljačkoj buni 1573. godine" (PDF). Papers and Proceedings of the Department of Historical Research of the Institute of Historical and Social Research of Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (in Croatian). 3. Zagreb, Croatia: Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts: 499–503. Retrieved 5 September 2017.

External links

An Interactive map of all the battles fought around the world in the last 4,000 years
Information on 1,500 conflicts since 1800
Max Roser: 'War and Peace'. (2016). Published online at OurWorldInData.org.

Text submitted to CC-BY-SA license. Source: List of wars by death toll by Wikipedia (Historical)

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