Sources: Britannica, Our World in Data, Encyclopedia of War, UN Reports
Criteria: Death toll estimates include both civilians and soldiers.
Some discrepancies exist between sources due to different methodologies.
The following ranking is based on major historical databases
and academic research to present the most reliable estimates of human casualties.
Human history has been a continuous series of wars.
War is not merely a military conflictโit is a tragedy that has reshaped nations
and altered the destiny of humanity itself.
This list ranks the ten deadliest wars in history
based on the number of deaths, while also exploring
their causes, scale of destruction, and historical significance.
๐๏ธ 10. Angolan Civil War
Estimated deaths: 500,000โ800,000 (1975โ2002)
A brutal civil war that broke out right after Angola gained independence from Portugal.
Fueled by Cold War rivalries involving the U.S., the Soviet Union, and Cuba,
the conflict lasted for 27 years and devastated the nationโs infrastructure,
leaving countless civilian casualties.
โ๏ธ 9. IranโIraq War
Estimated deaths: 1 million (1980โ1988)
Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, invaded Iran,
igniting one of the largest wars in modern Middle Eastern history.
Widespread use of chemical weapons and city bombings caused massive casualties.
The war dragged on for eight years with no decisive victor.
๐ฐ๐ท 8. Korean War
Estimated deaths: 3 million (1950โ1953)
A tragic proxy war of the Cold War era, sparked by division on the Korean Peninsula.
The U.S. and Chinaโs intervention escalated the conflict dramatically,
resulting in high civilian casualties.
Even today, the Korean Peninsula remains divided and technically at war.
๐ป๐ณ 7. Vietnam War
Estimated deaths: 3โ4 million (1955โ1975)
A defining ideological conflict of the Cold War,
involving heavy U.S. military intervention and extensive bombing campaigns.
Although North Vietnam emerged victorious,
the social and emotional scars lingered for generations.
โ๏ธ 6. Napoleonic Wars
Estimated deaths: 4 million (1803โ1815)
A series of conflicts led by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte in his quest
to dominate Europe.
The wars engulfed nearly the entire continent and shaped
modern military strategy and geopolitics.
โ๏ธ 5. Chinese Civil War
Estimated deaths: 6โ8 million (1927โ1950)
A prolonged struggle between the Nationalists (Kuomintang) and the Communists.
Amid the Japanese invasion, chaos deepened across China.
Ultimately, the Communists triumphed, leading to the establishment
of the Peopleโs Republic of China in 1949.
๐ท๐บ 4. Russian Civil War
Estimated deaths: 7 million (1917โ1923)
Following the Bolshevik Revolution,
Red and White factions clashed for control of Russia.
Beyond combat, famine and disease claimed millions more lives.
The war paved the way for the creation of the Soviet Union.
๐ฏ 3. Taiping Rebellion
Estimated deaths: 20โ30 million (1850โ1864)
A massive civil war in southern China during the Qing Dynasty.
Led by a pseudo-Christian movement seeking to build a โHeavenly Kingdom,โ
the rebellion became the deadliest civil war in world history,
profoundly altering Chinaโs 19th-century demography.
๐ 2. World War I
Estimated deaths: 15โ20 million (1914โ1918)
Dubbed โThe War to End All Wars,โ
World War I introduced new weapons and trench warfare,
leading to unimaginable carnage.
It reshaped global alliances and set the stage for World War II.
๐ฃ 1. World War II
Estimated deaths: 70 million (1939โ1945)
The deadliest conflict in human history, spanning Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The Holocaust and the atomic bombings epitomized the extremes of human violence.
The warโs end ushered in the Cold War and a complete reordering of world power.
