The Countries with the Most Casualties in World War II

Military

Close Up Single Re-enactor Dressed As German Wehrmacht Infantry Soldier In World War II Walking In Patrol Through Autumn Forest. WWII WW2 Times. Photo In Black And White Colors. — George Trumpeter / Shutterstock.com

Published: April 24, 2024 10:50 am

Last Updated: April 25, 2024 10:44 am

Over 75 million people died over the course of World War II making it the bloodiest conflict in the history of the world. Soldiers laid down their lives in service of their countries and in a hope to make a better world for generations to come. The peace that came from this war has largely held, and while there may be conflicts ongoing around the world like in Israel or Ukraine, these tend to be localized and not even close to the scale that was World War II. (These are World War II’s biggest battles.)

Although most of the conflict took place in the European and Pacific Theaters, there was still widespread fighting around the world. Countries like New Zealand and South Africa also saw this conflict reach them in some form or fashion.

Here 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the casualties from World War II. To identify the countries with the most casualties in World War II, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed WWII casualty statistics from World War 2 Facts, an online database of WWII battles. We ranked countries based on total casualties. We included supplemental information regarding military deaths for each country as well as civilian deaths.

The Soviet Union by far had the largest death toll of any country in the conflict. The Red Army and Russian civilians paid a heavy price in halting the German advance into Eastern Europe, and then pushing back against it to end the war. (These are the countries that mobilized the most troops in World War II.)

Obviously Germany soldiers and civilians suffered greatly as they were on the losing end of the war. With Allied Forces pressing from both the East and the West, German forces were demolished severely altering Germany’s population and creating a power vacuum which both the United States and Soviet Union would seek to fill.

Here is a look at the countries with the most casualties in World War II:

Why Are We Covering This?

Nato national Flag textile cloth fabric waving on the top

Source: EA09 Studio / Shutterstock.com

World War II was one of the deadliest conflicts in human history with unprecedented casualties. The outcome of this war largely determined the world we know today along with many of the current geopolitical and military relationships. Understanding how these countries were impacted by World War II and the casualties that resulted from it gives context to these alliances and greater insight into international relations in general.

27. Denmark

Source: usabmc / Flickr

Total casualties: 3,200
Military deaths: 2,100
Civilian deaths: 1,000

26. Norway

Norwegian World War II Resistance Home Forces armband (armbind brukt av Hjemmestyrkene) displayed at Norway's Resistance Museum in Oslo, photo 2017-11-30 (BY-SA 4.0) by Wolfmann

Total casualties: 9,500
Military deaths: 3,000
Civilian deaths: 5,800

25. New Zealand

Source: Fox Photos / Hulton Archive via Getty Images

Total casualties: 11,900
Military deaths: 11,900
Civilian deaths: 0

24. South Africa

Source: Fox Photos / Hulton Archive via Getty Images

Total casualties: 11,900
Military deaths: 11,900
Civilian deaths: 0

23. Spain

Source: Hulton Archive / Hulton Archive via Getty Images

Total casualties: 14,500
Military deaths: 4,500
Civilian deaths: 10,000

22. Bulgaria

Source: 8th Cavalery Regiment (Bulgaria) in Bujanovac, Serbia, WWII by Unknown (Регионална библиотека ПЕНЧО СЛАВЕЙКОВ - Варна / Public Library - Varna) / CC0 1.0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en)