List of wars by death toll explained

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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)

width=170ptWardata-sort-type="number" Death
range
data-sort-type="isoDate" width=95ptDateCombatantsLocationNotes
Conquests of Cyrus the Great100,000+549 BC–530 BCPersian Empire vs. various statesMiddle EastNumber given is the sum of all deaths in battle recorded by Persian writers during this time period, does not take into account civilian deaths, the actual number may be much greater.
Greco–Persian Wars300,000+499 BC–449 BCGreek City-States vs. Persian EmpireGreece
Chinese Warring States1,500,000+c. 475 BC – 221 BCSeven great powers of ChinaChinaEstimated at 1,500,000 before Qin's wars of unification[1]
Samnite Wars33,500+343 BC–290 BCRoman Republic vs. SamnitesItalyNumber given is the sum of all deaths in battle recorded by Roman writers during this time period, does not take into account civilian deaths, the actual number may be much greater.
Wars of Alexander the Great142,000+336 BC–323 BCMacedonian Empire and other Greek City-States vs. Persian Empire and various other statesMiddle East / North Africa / Central Asia / IndiaNumber given is the sum of all deaths in battle during these wars recorded by Greek writers, does not take into account civilian deaths, the actual number may be much greater.
Punic Wars1,620,000–1,920,000+264 BC–146 BCRoman Republic vs. Carthaginian EmpireWestern Europe / North Africa
First Punic War400,000+264 BC–241 BCRoman Republic vs. Carthaginian EmpireSouthern Europe / North AfricaPart of the Punic Wars
Qin's Wars of Unification700,000+230 BC–221 BCQin state vs. Han, Zhao, Yan, Wei, Chu, Qi StatesChinaPart of Warring States period
Second Punic War770,000+218 BC–201 BCRoman Republic vs. Carthaginian EmpireWestern Europe / North Africa[2] – Part of the Punic Wars
Third Punic War450,000–750,000+149 BC–146 BCRoman Republic vs. Carthaginian EmpireTunisiaPart of the Punic Wars
Cimbrian War410,000–650,000113 BC–101 BCRoman Republic vs. Cimbri and TeutonesWestern EuropePart of the Germanic Wars
Roman civil wars from Social War (91–87 BC) to War of Actium3,000,000+[3] 91 BC– 30 BCRoman civil warsEurope/North Africa/Middle EastFall of the Roman Republic
Gallic Wars1,000,000+58 BC–50 BCRoman Republic vs. Gallic tribesFrance
Iceni Revolt150,000+[4] 60–61Roman Empire vs. Celtic tribesEnglandYear is uncertain – Part of the Roman Conquest of Britain
Jewish–Roman Wars1,270,000–2,000,000[5] 66–136Roman Empire vs. JewsMiddle East/North AfricaDeaths caused by Roman attempt to permanently root out Judaism included.
First Jewish–Roman War250,000–1,100,00066–73Roman Empire vs. JewsMiddle East– Part of Jewish–Roman Wars
Kitos War440,000+115–117Roman Empire vs. JewsSouthern Europe / North Africa– Also known as the Second Jewish–Roman War
– Part of Jewish–Roman Wars
Bar Kokhba Revolt580,000132–136Roman Empire vs. JewsMiddle East– Also known as the Third Jewish–Roman War
– Part of Jewish–Roman Wars
Three Kingdoms War36,000,000–40,000,000184–280Wei vs. Shu vs. WuChina[6] [7] – Academically, the period of the Three Kingdoms refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the conquest of the state of Wu by the Jin dynasty in 280. The earlier, "unofficial" part of the period, from 184 to 220, was marked by chaotic infighting between warlords in various parts of China. See: End of the Han dynasty- Also, note that the death range provided is actually the amount the population declined according to the census data and is likely an overestimation of actual combat fatalities.
Yellow Turban Rebellion3,000,000–7,000,000184–205Peasants vs. Eastern Han ChinaChina– Part of Three Kingdoms War
Wars of the Sixteen Kingdoms150,000+
304–439Northern Chinese StatesNorthern ChinaNumber given is the sum of all deaths in battle recorded in this time period in battles between armies of the Sixteen Kingdoms, does not take into account civilian deaths, the actual number may be much greater.
Hunnic Reclaims165,000+
395–453Roman Empire vs. Hunnic EmpireEuropeNumber given is the sum of all deaths in battle recorded by Roman writers during this time period; does not take into account civilian deaths; the actual number may be much greater.
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).

width=120Wardata-sort-type="number" Deaths
range
data-sort-type="isoDate" width=65DateCombatantsLocationNotes
Arab–Byzantine Wars2,000,000+629–1050Byzantine Empire and allies vs. Islamic Empire and alliesMiddle East / North Africa / Southern EuropeNumber given is the sum of all deaths in battle recorded by writers during this time period, does not take into account civilian deaths, the actual number may be much greater.
Reconquista7,000,000711–1492Spanish and Portuguese Christian states vs. Spanish and Portuguese Muslim statesIberian Peninsula[8] - Also known as the reconquest of Al-Andalus
Goguryeo–Sui War300,000+598–614Sui dynasty China and Goguryeo Kingdom KoreaChina, Korea [9]
An Lushan Rebellion13,000,000–36,000,000755–763Tang dynasty China and Islamic Empire vs. Yan stateChina [10] – Also known as the An–Shi Rebellion
Goryeo–Khitan Wars90,000+993–1019Liao Empire vs. Goryeo KingdomKorea[11]
Song–Đại Việt war600,000+1075–1077Song Empire vs. Dai Viet Kingdom under Lý dynastyChina, Vietnam[12] [13]
Crusades1,000,000–3,000,0001095–1291Originally Byzantine Empire vs. Seljuq Empire, but evolved into Christians vs. Muslims.Europe / Middle East ("Holy Land")[14]
Albigensian Crusade200,000–1,000,0001208–1229Papal States and France vs. Cathar StatesFrance[15] [16] – Also known as the Cathar Crusade– Part of the Crusades
Mongol invasions and conquests30,000,000–40,000,0001206–1368Mongol Empire vs. Several Eurasian statesEurasia[17] [18] [19] – Excludes the (up to) 200,000,000 deaths from the Black Death migration that may have been associated with the Mongol expansion
Wars of Scottish Independence60,000–150,0001296–1357Scotland vs. EnglandScotland / England
Hundred Years' War2,300,000–3,500,0001337–1453House of Valois vs. House of PlantagenetWestern Europe[20]
Conquests of Timur8,000,000–20,000,0001370–1405Timurid Empire vs. several middle eastern statesEurasia[21] [22]
Wars of the Roses35,000–105,0001455–1487House of Lancaster, House of Tudor, and allies vs. House of York and alliesEngland / Wales[23]

Modern

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

width=150Wardata-sort-type="number" width=150Deaths
range
data-sort-type="isoDate" width=65 DateCombatantsLocationNotes
Mediterranean War900,000–1,000,0001470–1574Republic of Venice, Spain, Republic of Genoa, Papal States, Duchy of Savoy, and Order of Saint John vs. Ottoman EmpireMediterranean[24]
Italian Wars300,000–400,0001494–1559Holy Roman Empire, Spain, and some Italian states vs. France, Ottoman Empire, and some Italian statesSouthern Europe (primarily) – Also known as the Great Wars of Italy
Spanish conquest of New Granada5,250,000+1499–1540Spanish Empire vs. Colombian civilizationsColombia[25]

Notes and References

  1. Peers, Chris, (1998). Warlords of China, 700 BC to AD 1662, (London: Arms and Armour), p 59.
  2. Web site: Atrocity statistics from the Roman Era. White. Matthew. Necrometrics.
  3. Estimated at "several millions." Alföldy, Géza, (1975). The Social History of Rome, (London & Sydney: Johns Hopkins University Press), p 91.
  4. Web site: Atrocity statistics from the Roman Era. users.erols.com.
  5. Web site: The Jewish Roman Wars. 2020-07-28. www.jewishwikipedia.info.
  6. Book: China: Its Environment and History (World Social Change). Robert B. Marks. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 2011. 978-1442212756.
  7. Book: Demography – Analysis and Synthesis: A Treatise in Population. Graziella Caselli. Academic Press. 2005. 012765660X.
  8. Kabha . Mustafa . 2023 . The Fall of Al-Andalus and the Evolution of its Memory in Modern Arab-Muslim Historiography . The Maghreb Review . 48 . 3 . 289–303 . 10.1353/tmr.2023.a901468 . 2754-6772.
  9. Book: Book of Sui. 636.
  10. Web site: Selected Death Tolls for Wars, Massacres and Atrocities Before the 20th Century. White. Matthew. Necrometrics. 2011-01-24.
  11. Web site: 귀주대첩 [네이버 지식백과] 귀주대첩 [龜州大捷] (두산백과)]. Naver. 4 July 2013.
  12. Book: Chapuis, Oscar . 1995 . A History of Vietnam: from Hong Bang to Tu Duc . Greenwood Publishing Group . 0-313-29622-7 . 77.
  13. Xu Zizhi Tongjian Changbian《長編》卷三百上載出師兵員“死者二十萬”,“上曰:「朝廷以交址犯順,故興師討罪,郭逵不能剪滅,垂成而還。今廣源瘴癘之地,我得之未為利,彼失之未為害,一夫不獲,朕尚閔之,况十死五六邪?」又安南之師,死者二十萬,朝廷當任其咎。《續資治通鑑長編·卷三百》”。《越史略》載廣西被殺者“無慮十萬”。《玉海》卷一九三上稱“兵夫三十萬人冒暑涉瘴地,死者過半”。
  14. Robertson, John M., "A Short History of Christianity" (1902) p.278. Cited by White
  15. Web site: Crusades (1095-1291). White. Matthew. Necrometrics.
  16. Massacre of the Pure. https://web.archive.org/web/20080120172908/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,897752-2,00.html. dead. January 20, 2008. April 28, 1961. Time.
  17. Book: Atlas of World Population History. McEvedy. Colin. Jones. Richard M.. 1978. Puffin. 9780140510768. New York, NY. 172.
  18. Ping-ti Ho, "An Estimate of the Total Population of Sung-Chin China", in Études Song, Series 1, No 1, (1970) pp. 33–53.
  19. Web site: Mongol Conquests. White. Matthew. Necrometrics. 2011-01-24.
  20. Web site: Twentieth Century Atlas – Historical Body Count. White. Matthew. Necrometrics.
  21. Web site: Timur Lenk (1369–1405). White. Matthew. Necrometrics. 2011-01-24.
  22. Web site: Miscellaneous Oriental Atrocities. White. Matthew. Necrometrics. 2011-01-24.
  23. Web site: War Statistics – Death Tolls, Length, and More. https://web.archive.org/web/20170310005448/http://wars.findthedata.com/l/203/Wars-of-the-Roses. 10 March 2017.
  24. Web site: De re Militari: muertos en Guerras, Dictaduras y Genocidios. remilitari.com.
  25. https://www.banrep.gov.co/sites/default/files/paginas/lbr_colonial_graficos3.pdf
  26. Web site: ,http://necrometrics.com/pre1700a.htm#Psnt1524 Ensayos de historia social: La sociedad neogranadina,Peasants' War, Germany (1524-25). Jaime Jaramillo Uribe . es . 7 August 2024[25] - Includes Spanish conquest of the Muisca, part of the European colonization of the Americas, includes death from European disease.,,,,,. "remilitari" /> – Part of the European colonisation of the Americas and the Spanish conquest of Mexico, includes deaths due to European disease,"remilitari" /> – Part of the European colonization of the Americas, includes deaths due to European diseases,"remilitari" /> – Part of the European colonization of the Americas, includes deaths due to European diseases,"Nash" />. White. Matthew. Necrometrics.