This list of wars by death toll includes some deaths directly or indirectly caused by the deadliest wars in history. These numbers encompass the deaths of military personnel resulting directly from battles or other wartime actions, as well as wartime or war-related civilian deaths, often caused by war-induced epidemics, famines, or genocides. Due to incomplete records, unreliable censuses or contemporary accounts, differing counting methods, the destruction of evidence, and various other factors, the death tolls of wars are often uncertain and highly debated. For this reason, the death tolls in this article typically provide a range of estimates.
Compiling such a list is further complicated by the challenge of defining a war. Not every violent conflict constitutes a war; for instance, mass killings and genocides occurring outside of wartime are excluded, as they are not necessarily wars in themselves. This list broadly defines war as an extended conflict between two or more armed political groups. Consequently, it excludes mass death events, such as human sacrifices, ethnic cleansing operations, and acts of state terrorism or political repression during peacetime or in contexts unrelated to war.
Averaging the death ranges, the total for the wars listed is about 570 million, of them 58 million for 500 BCE – CE 500, 117 million for AD 500 – 1700, and 396 million for 1700 – 2023.Christopher McFadden (Oct 22, 2023). "10 weapons that have killed the most people since war began". Interesting Engineering: Military, https://interestingengineering.com/military/the-worlds-10-deadliest-weapons
List
WarDeathrangeDateCombatantsLocation% of global population (rough estimates)World War II70–85 million1939–1945Allied Powers vs. Axis PowersGlobal3.04–3.69%Taiping Rebellion20–70 million1850–1864Qing Dynasty vs. Taiping Heavenly KingdomChina1.42–2.65%Mongol invasions and conquests20–60 millionMcEvedy, Colin; Jones, Richard M. (1978). Atlas of World Population History. New York, NY: Puffin. p. 172. .Graziella Caselli, Gillaume Wunsch, Jacques Vallin (2005). Demography: Analysis and Synthesis, Four Volume Set: A Treatise in Population. Academic Press. p.34. 1206–1368Mongol Empire vs. various states in EurasiaAsia and Europe5.55–13.54%Three Kingdoms34 million184–280Multiple sides but predominantly Cao Wei vs Shu Han vs Eastern WuChina13.28–17.89%Transition from Ming to Qing25 million1618–1683Various, but mainly the Later Jin and Qing Dynasties vs. Ming DynastyChina4.16–5.31%World War I15–22 million1914–1918Allied Powers vs. Central PowersGlobal0.85–1.25%Conquests of Timur7–17 million1369–1405Timurid Empire vs. various states in AsiaCentral Asia, West Asia, and South Asia1.94–5.55%An Lushan rebellion13 million754–763Tang Dynasty and Uyghur Khaganate vs. Yan DynastyChina6.04%Spanish conquest of Mexico10.5 millionBorah/Cook 1989: "El pasado de México: aspectos sociodemográficos" 218-2191519–1530Spanish Empire and allies vs. Aztec Empire and alliesMexico2.33%Russian Civil War7–10 million1917–1922Multiple sides: Bolsheviks, anti-Bolshevik left, White Movement, Allied and Central Intervention, as well as various separatistsRussia0.37–0.53%Chinese Civil War4–9 million1927–1949Multiple sides, but predominantly Communists vs. KuomintangChina0.19–0.43%Thirty Years' War4.5–8 million1618–1648Anti-Imperial Alliance vs. Imperial AllianceEurope0.77–1.38%Crusades1–9 million1095–1291Originally Byzantine Empire vs. Seljuk Empire, but evolved into Christians vs. MuslimsEurope and the Middle East0.31–2.8%Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire7.7 million1533–1572Spanish Empire vs. Inca EmpireSouth America1.71%Reconquista7 million718–1492Christian peninsular kingdoms vs. Islamic peninsular kingdomsIberian Peninsula1.94%French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars4–7 million1792–1815French Republic, later French Empire, vs. Coalition forcesEurope0.49–0.86%Conquests of Menelik II5–6 million1878–1904Ethiopian Empire vs. Emirate of Harar, Kingdom of Kaffa, Kingdom of Wolaita, and alliesHorn of Africa0.39%Mahdist War4-6 million1881-1899Mahdist Sudan vs. United Kingdom and alliesSudan0.29-0.43%Second Congo War3–5.4 million1998–2003Multiple sidesDemocratic Republic of the Congo0.05–0.09%Spanish conquest of New Granada5.25 million1525–1540Spanish Empire vs. Muisca Confederation and other civilizationsSouth America 1.17%Deccan wars4.6–5 million1680–1707Mughal Empire vs. Maratha ConfederacySouth Asia0.75–0.82%Northern Wars3.57–4.57 million1554–1721Multiple sidesEastern and Northern Europe0.46–1.02%Vietnam War1.3–4.2 million1955–1975North Vietnam and allies vs. South Vietnam and alliesIndochina0.027–0.153%Nigerian Civil War3.04–4.1 million1967–1970Nigeria vs. BiafraNigeria0.09-0.12%French Wars of Religion2–4 million1562–1598French catholics vs HuguenotsFrance0.40–0.89%Korean War2.5–3.5 million1950–1953North Korea and allies vs. South Korea and alliesKorean Peninsula0.1-0.14%Hundred Years' War2.3–3.5 million1337–1453House of Valois vs. House of PlantagenetWestern Europe0.51–1.00%Soviet–Afghan War1–3 million1979–1989Soviet Union and Democratic Republic of Afghanistan vs. Afghan mujahideenAfghanistanDelhi Conquest of North India0.5–3 millionConquest of Malwa (1305): 10,000-20,000 Hindus killed
Muhammad bin Tughlaq (1325–1351)
- Campaigns against the Rajputs: 50,000–100,000 Rajputs killed
Rebellion against Muhammad bin Tughlaq (1327–1351): 100,000–200,000 casualties
Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1351–1388)
- Campaigns against the Jats and Rajputs: 20,000–40,000 killed. Total deaths: 500,000–3,000,000 deaths
Sources:
1. Minhaj-i-Siraj's Tabakat-i-Nasiri
2. Hasan Nizami's Taj-ul-Ma'sir
3. Amir Khusrau's Khazain-ul-Futuh
4. Ziauddin Barani's Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi1300–1310Delhi Sultanate vs. North Indian StatesSouth Asia0.14–0.86%Bangladesh Liberation War0.3-3 million1971India and Provisional Government of Bangladesh vs. PakistanSouth AsiaMexican Revolution1–2.7 million1910–1920Anti-government forces vs. Pro-government forcesMexicoFang La Rebellion2 million1120–1122Song Dynasty vs. Fang La rebelsChina0.56–0.63%Ethiopian Civil War and Eritrean War of Independence1.75–2 million1961–1991EPRDF, later EPLF, vs. Derg and People's Democratic Republic of EthiopiaHorn of AfricaRusso-Circassian War and Caucasian War1.5–2 million1763–1864Circassian Confederation, Principality of Abkhazia, and Caucasian Imamate vs. Russian EmpireCaucasusSecond Sudanese Civil War1–2 million1983–2005Sudan vs. SSPDFSudanTây Sơn wars1–2 million1771–1802Tây Sơn dynasty vs. Nguyễn lords, Kingdom of Cambodia, Rattanakosin Kingdom, and Kingdom of FranceIndochinaAkbar's Conquest of North India1–2 millionHistorian John F. Richards estimates that the cumulative impact of Akbar’s campaigns in the north, including the Siege of Ranthambore and the Third Battle of Panipat, led to the deaths of 1 million people or more, both from direct military action and the resulting famines and displacements (John F. Richards, The Mughal Empire, 1993). Similarly, Satish Chandra’s analysis highlights the widespread destruction and execution orders that contributed to a high civilian death toll (Satish Chandra, Medieval India: From Sultanate to the Mughals, 1997).