Deaths in 20th Century Wars, Conflicts and Repressions
Dear PDF reader,
Below is a list of the deaths in the 20th Century due to international wars, civil wars, repressions by governments, etc. I compiled this summary list from this source: Twentieth Century Atlas - Death Tolls
This source has a lot more detail about each conflict as well as the various death estimates that have been published for each. My list below is the "median" or "consensus" number for the particular "event". I compiled it on a spreadsheet and then ordered in descending order of the number of deaths. I thought it was useful to gain some perspective on the magnitude of similar events going on today, in the context of what has been human behavior and experience in the last 100 years. Conflicts causing less than 30,000 deaths were not included in my list but may be found at the source above. -- TS
Event --> Death Toll
Second World War (1937-45) --> 55,000,000
China (Mao's repression, 1949-1975) --> 40,000,000
Soviet Union (Stalin's repression, 1924-53) --> 20,000,000
First World War (1914-18) --> 15,000,000
Russian Civil War (1917-22) --> 9,000,000
Congo Free State (1886-1908) --> 8,000,000
Kinshasa Congo (Civil war, 1998 et seq.) --> 3,800,000
Second Indochina War (1960-75) --> 3,500,000
China (Nationalist era civil wars, 1928-37) --> 3,100,000
Korean War (1950-53) --> 2,800,000
German Expulsion from East Europe (1945-47) --> 2,100,000
Sudan (1983 et seq.) --> 1,900,000
Afghanistan (1979-2001) --> 1,800,000
Vietnam War (1965-73) --> 1,700,000
Armenian (Turkish massacres, 1915-23) --> 1,500,000
Ethiopia (1962-92) --> 1,400,000
Rwanda and Burundi (1959-95) --> 1,350,000
North Korea (1948 et seq.) --> 1,320,000
Iran-Iraq War (1980-88) --> 1,000,000
Mexican Revolution (1910-20) --> 1,000,000
Mozambique (1975-1992) --> 1,000,000
Nigeria (1966-70) --> 1,000,000
China ( Warlord era repression, 1917-28) --> 800,000
Cambodian Civil War (1970-75) --> 600,000
Tibet (Chinese repression, 1950 et seq.) --> 600,000
Angola (Government vs Unita, 1975-2002) --> 550,000
Algeria (Algerian independence, 1954-62) --> 537,000
Brazil Indian Genocide (1900 et seq.) --> 500,000
India-Pakistan Partition (1947) --> 500,000
Sudan (1955-72) --> 500,000
Spain (Civil War + Franco rule, 1936-75) --> 465,000
Vietnam ( Communist repression (1975 et seq.) --> 430,000
Abyssinian Conquest (1935-41) --> 400,000
First Indochina War (1945-54) --> 400,000
Indonesia (Repression of communists, 1965-66) --> 400,000
Somalia (Civil wars, 1991 - 2000) --> 400,000
Iraq ( International embargo, 1990-2003) --> 350,000
Portuguese Colonies (Colonial repression, 1900-25) --> 325,000
Iraq (Saddam Hussein repression, 1979-2003) --> 300,000
Kurdistan (1980's + 1990's) --> 300,000
Uganda (Obote vs NRA, 1979-86) --> 300,000
Uganda( Idi Amin's repression, 1972-79) --> 300,000
Amazonia (rubber company workers, 1900-12) --> 250,000
Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) --> 250,000
Turkey (Kurdish uprising, 1925-28) --> 250,000
Cambodian Civil War (1978-91) --> 225,000
Philippines Insurgency (1899-1902) --> 220,000
Colombia (La Violenca, 1946-58) --> 200,000
East Timor (Conquest by Indonesia (1975-99) --> 200,000
French Colonies (Colonial repression, 1900-40) --> 200,000
Guatemala (1960-1996) --> 200,000
Yugoslavia (Tito's repression, 1944-80) --> 200,000
Zaire (Dem. Rep. Congo Civil War, 1997) --> 200,000
Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-95) --> 175,000
Maji-Maji Revolt, German East Africa (1905-07) --> 175,000
Greek Civil War (1943-49) --> 158,000
Lebanon (Civil strife,1975-90) --> 150,000
Liberia (Government vs NPF, 1989-97) --> 150,000
Romania (Communist repression, 1948-89) --> 150,000
Russo-Finnish War (1939-1940) --> 150,000
Balkan Wars (1912-13) --> 140,000
Burma/Myanmar (Civil wars, 1948 et seq.) --> 130,000
Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) --> 130,000
Libya (Resistance to Italian rule, 1911-31) --> 125,000
Israel (Wars with Arab States, Palestinians (1948 et seq) --> 110,000
Russia (Chechnya, 1994 et seq.) --> 80,000
Sri Lanka (1977- et seq.) --> 65,000
Peru (Shining Path insurrection, 1980-2000) --> 50,000
Chad (Habre regime, 1982-90) --> 40,000
South Korea (1948-49) --> 40,000
Tajikstan (Civil War, 1992-96) --> 40,000
Kashmir & Jammu, Civil War (1989 et seq.) --> 35,000
http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-affairs/20617-conflict-death-20th-century.html