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World War I casualties facts for kids

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British wounded Bernafay Wood 19 July 1916
British and German wounded in Bernafay Wood, 19 July 1916. Photo by Ernest Brooks.

World War I was one of the deadliest conflicts in human history. Around 40 million people were affected. This includes about 15 to 22 million deaths. Also, about 23 million military people were wounded.

The total number of deaths includes 9 to 11 million soldiers. About 6 to 13 million civilians also died. The Triple Entente, also known as the Allies, lost about 6 million soldiers. The Central Powers lost about 4 million soldiers. At least 2 million people died from diseases. Another 6 million went missing and were thought to be dead. This article shares numbers about those who died or were injured. These numbers come from official reports.

About two-thirds of soldiers died in battle during World War I. This was different from wars in the 1800s. Back then, most deaths were from disease. Still, diseases like the 1918 flu pandemic caused many deaths. Being a prisoner of war also led to deaths. These causes made up about one-third of all military deaths.

Understanding Casualty Numbers

Douaumont ossuary3
Douaumont French Army cemetery. It is seen from the Douaumont ossuary. This building holds remains of French and German soldiers. They died during the Battle of Verdun in 1916.

The numbers for World War I casualties can vary a lot. Estimates for total deaths range from 9 million to over 15 million. Official reports list military deaths from all causes. This includes 7 to 8 million deaths from combat. Another 2 to 3 million military deaths were from accidents, disease, or being a prisoner of war.

Governments like the United States and Great Britain published reports. These reports from the 1920s are the main source for these numbers. This article uses statistics from these official reports. It also includes figures from France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Austria, and Russia.

More recently, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) updated UK military numbers. They now include support staff and civilians from Africa, the Middle East, and China. These people helped with supplies and services. Their deaths were not always counted before. However, British workers from the British Isles were included in earlier reports.

Each country counted casualties differently. So, comparing numbers directly can be tricky. Experts say estimating civilian deaths is hard. One accepted number for non-combatant deaths is 6.5 million.

How Many People Died in World War I?

This section shows how many people died or were wounded. It focuses on countries as they were between 1914 and 1918. If a country's death count is debated, a range of numbers is given.

Nation Population (millions) Total military deaths Civilian deaths Total deaths Deaths as % of population Military wounded
Allies and their friends
 Australia 5.0 59,330
to 62,149		 59,330
to 62,149		 1.2%
to 1.2%		 152,171
 Canada 7.2 56,639
to 64,996		 1,963 58,639
to 66,996		 0.8%
to 0.9%		 149,732
 India 315.1 64,449
to 73,905		 64,449
to 73,905		 0%
to 0%		 69,214
 New Zealand 1.1 16,711
to 18,060		 16,711
to 18,060		 1.5%
to 1.6%		 41,317
 Newfoundland 0.2 1,204
to 1,570		 1,204
to 1,570		 0.6%
to 0.8%		 2,314
 South Africa 6.0 7,121
to 9,726		 7,121
to 9,726		 0.1%
to 0.2%		 12,029
 United Kingdom (and colonies) 45.4 887,858 16,829 to 400,000 867,829
to 1,011,687		 1.9%
to 2.2%		 1,675,000
  • Sub-total
  • British Empire
 380.0 949,454
to 1,118,264		 125,829 1,077,283
to 1,244,093		 0.3%
to 0.3%		 2,101,077
 Belgium 7.4 38,170
to 58,637		 85,700 123,870
to 144,337		 1.7%
to 2%		 44,686
 France 39.6 1,357,000
to 1,397,800		 340,000 to 640,000 1,697,000
to 1,737,800		 4.3%
to 4.4%		 4,266,000
 Greece 4.8 5,000
to 26,000		 150,000 155,000
to 176,000		 3.2%
to 3.7%		 21,000
 Italy 35.6 460,000
to 709,000		 335,400 to 592,400 1,052,400
to 1,301,400		 3%
to 3.7%		 947,000 to 1,050,000
 Japan 53.6 300
to 4,661		 300
to 4,661		 0%
to 0%		 907
 Montenegro 0.5 3,000
to 13,325		 3,000
to 13,325		 0.6%
to 2.7%		 10,000
 Portugal 6.0 7,222 82,013 89,235 1.5% 13,751
 Romania 7.5 250,000
to 335,706		 330,000 580,000
to 665,706		 7.7%
to 8.9%		 120,000
 Russia 175.1 1,700,000 to
2,254,369		 1,140,000 2,840,000 to
3,394,369		 1.6% to 1.9% 3,749,000 to
4,950,000
 Serbia 4.5 300,000
to 450,000		 450,000
to 800,000		 750,000
to 1,250,000		 16.7%
to 27.8%		 133,148
 United States 92.0 116,708 757 117,466 0.1% 204,002
  • Total
  • Allied Powers
 806.6 5,186,854
to 6,433,692		 4,046,699
to 4,396,699		 9,235,553
to 10,080,391		 1.1%
to 1.2%		 11,611,271
to 12,812,271
Central Powers
 Austria-Hungary 51.4 1,200,000
to 1,494,200		 587,000 1,787,000
to 2,081,200		 3.5%
to 4%		 3,620,000
 Bulgaria 4.5 87,500 100,000 187,500 3.4% 152,390
 Germany 64.9 2,037,000 300,720 to 763,720 2,198,420
to 2,800,720		 3.4% to
4.3%		 4,215,662
 Ottoman Empire 21.3 325,000
to 771,844		 2,500,000 2,825,000
to 3,271,844		 13.3%
to 15.4%		 400,000
to 763,753
  • Total
  • Central Powers
 142.1 3,386,200
to 4,390,544		 2,987,720
to 3,363,720		 6,997,920
to 8,341,264		 4.9%
to 5.9%		 8,388,052
to 8,751,805
Neutral nations
 Denmark 2.8 700 700 0% —
 Luxembourg 0.3 2,800 See footnote
 Norway 2.4 1,180 1,180 0.1% —
 Persia 10.5 2,000,000 2,000,000 19% —
 Sweden 5.6 800 800 0% —
 Albania 0.7 to 0.8 70,000 70,000 8.75% to 10% —
 Liechtenstein 0.0087 4 4 0.05% —
Grand total 959.7 8,573,058
to 10,824,240		 7,661,000
to 10,460,419		 15,000,000 to 22,000,000 1.7%
to 2.3%		 22,101,100
to 23,665,873

The population numbers come from Philip J. Haythornthwaite's book, The World War One Source Book.

Casualties in New Borders (After 1924)

Europe 1914 and 1924
Europe in 1914 and 1924. You can see how borders changed.

World War I involved large empires with many different groups of people. These included Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey. Many people from these areas were forced to join the military. The numbers for countries with new borders are also included in the table above.

These numbers for countries with new borders are rough guesses. They come from a Russian historian named Vadim Erlikman. He published them in 2004. The Oxford History of World War One notes that in Africa, the war caused food shortages and diseases. These problems killed hundreds of thousands of people and animals.

A Russian historian estimated deaths in modern-day Austria. About 175,000 people died. This includes 120,000 soldiers with Austria-Hungary. Another 30,000 prisoners of war died. About 25,000 civilians died from hunger and sickness.

A Russian historian estimated deaths in modern-day Belarus. About 130,000 people died. This includes 70,000 soldiers with Russia. About 60,000 civilians also died.

A Russian historian estimated deaths in modern-day Ukraine. About 590,000 people died. This includes 450,000 soldiers. About 140,000 civilians also died.

The Belgian Congo was part of Belgium during the war. A Russian historian estimated 155,000 deaths there.

Czechoslovakia was part of Austria-Hungary. A Russian historian estimated 185,000 deaths in its 1991 borders. This includes 110,000 soldiers with Austria-Hungary. Another 45,000 prisoners of war died. About 30,000 civilians died from hunger and sickness.

Obermillstatt 16 2006
Austrian memorial in Obermillstatt. It remembers soldiers from the village who died in World War I.

Estonia was part of the Russian Empire. About 100,000 Estonians served in the Russian Army. Around 10,000 of them died.

Finland was a self-governing part of the Russian Empire. Finns did not have to join the Russian Army. About 800 Finns volunteered. Around 317 Finns died between 1914 and 1917.

A Russian historian estimated military deaths in French colonies. These numbers do not include civilian deaths. Total civilian deaths in Africa could be up to 750,000.

Total: 82,000

Georgia was part of the Russian Empire. About 150,000 Georgians served in the Russian Army. Around 10,000 of them died.

A Russian historian estimated military deaths in German colonies. These numbers do not include civilian deaths.

  •  Tanzania (German East Africa): 20,000
  •  Namibia (German South-West Africa): 1,000
  •  Cameroon (Kamerun): 5,000 military and 50,000 civilian
  •  Togo (German Togoland): 2,000
  •  Rwanda (German East Africa): 15,000

Total: 48,000

A Russian historian estimated deaths in modern-day Hungary. About 385,000 people died. This includes 270,000 soldiers with Austria-Hungary. Another 70,000 prisoners of war died. About 45,000 civilians died from hunger and sickness.

Ireland was part of the United Kingdom during the war. About 206,000 Irishmen served in British forces. At least 30,986 Irish-born soldiers died. Many Irish also served in Australian and Canadian forces.

A Russian historian estimated 52,000 deaths in Portuguese Mozambique.

Poland was controlled by Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia. A 2005 study estimated 3,376,800 Poles were forced into these armies. Another 300,000 were forced into labor. About 1.6 to 1.8 million Poles were moved from war zones. One estimate says 1,080,000 Poles died. Another estimate says 640,000 Poles died. This includes 270,000 soldiers, 120,000 civilians from fighting, and 250,000 from hunger and disease.

Transylvania was part of Austria-Hungary. A Russian historian estimated deaths in modern-day Romania. About 748,000 people died. This includes 220,000 soldiers with Romania. Another 150,000 soldiers with Austria-Hungary died. About 48,000 prisoners of war died. Civilian deaths included 200,000 from hunger and disease, 120,000 from fighting, and 10,000 in Austrian prisons.

Britain recruited workers from India, China, Africa, and Egypt. These workers helped with supplies. About 44,911 recruited workers died in East Africa. Nearly 2,000 Chinese Labour Corps workers are buried with British soldiers in France.

A Russian historian estimated military deaths in British colonies:

  •  Ghana (Gold Coast): 1,200
  •  Kenya (British East Africa): 2,000
  •  Malawi (Nyasaland): 3,000
  •  Nigeria (British West Africa): 5,000
  •  Sierra Leone (British West Africa): 1,000
  •  Uganda (Uganda Protectorate): 1,500
  •  Zambia (Northern Rhodesia): 3,000
  •  Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia): About 700 European soldiers died. 31 African soldiers died in action. 142 died from other causes.

Total: 18,000

These numbers are for Yugoslavia within its 1991 borders. Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Vojvodina were part of Austria-Hungary. Serbia and Montenegro were independent. A historian named Vladimir Dedijer said 1.9 million people died in Yugoslav lands. 43% of these were from Serbia.

A Russian historian estimated deaths in Yugoslavia's 1991 borders. About 996,000 people died. This includes 260,000 soldiers with Serbia. Another 80,000 with Austria-Hungary and 13,000 with Montenegro died. About 93,000 prisoners of war died. Civilian deaths included 400,000 from hunger and disease. 120,000 died in military operations. 30,000 died in Austrian prisons or were executed.

During World War I, Nepal sent over 20,000 volunteer troops to India. They helped free up British and Indian soldiers. Nepal also helped recruit more Gurkha soldiers for Britain. Many Nepalese served in non-fighting roles. They also fought in France, Turkey, Palestine, and Mesopotamia. Of over 200,000 Nepalese who served, about 20,000 Gurkha casualties are included with the British Indian Army numbers.

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