Wars are as old as mankind itself. The earliest documented evidence of warfare dates back to a battle in Mesolithic Egypt (Cemetery 117) some 14,000 years ago. Wars have occurred throughout much of the globe, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of millions of people. In our review of the bloodiest wars in human history, which should never be forgotten, lest such a thing be repeated.
Biafra War of Independence
1 million dead
The conflict, also known as the Nigerian Civil War (July 1967-January 1970), was caused by the attempted secession of the self-proclaimed state of Biafra (the eastern provinces of Nigeria). The conflict resulted from political, economic, ethnic, cultural, and religious tensions that preceded the formal decolonization of Nigeria from 1960 to 1963. Most people died of starvation and various diseases during the war.
Japanese Invasions of Korea
1 million dead
The Japanese invasions of Korea (or Imda War) took place between 1592 and 1598: the initial invasion took place in 1592 and the second invasion in 1597, after a brief armistice. The conflict ended in 1598 with the withdrawal of Japanese troops. About 1 million Koreans died, and Japanese casualties are unknown.
Iran-Iraq War
1 million dead
The Iran-Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from 1980 to 1988, making it the longest war of the 20th century. The war began when Iraq invaded Iran on September 22, 1980 and ended in a stalemate on August 20, 1988. In terms of tactics, the conflict was comparable to World War I, as it used large-scale trench warfare, machine gun points, bayonet attacks, psychological pressure, and extensive use of chemical weapons.
The Siege of Jerusalem
1.1 million dead
The oldest conflict on this list (it occurred in 73 A.D.) was the decisive event of the First Jewish War. The Roman army besieged and seized the city of Jerusalem, which was defended by the Jews. The siege ended with the sacking of the city and the destruction of its famous Second Temple. According to the historian Josephus Flavius, 1.1 million civilians died during the siege, mostly through violence and starvation.
Korean War
1.2 million dead
The Korean War, which lasted from June 1950 to July 1953, was an armed conflict that began when North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations, led by the United States, came to the aid of South Korea while China and the Soviet Union supported North Korea. The war ended after an armistice was signed, a demilitarized zone was established, and prisoners of war were exchanged. However, no peace treaty was signed, and the two Koreas are technically still at war.
Mexican Revolution
2 million dead
The Mexican Revolution, which lasted from 1910 to 1920, radically changed the entire Mexican culture. Considering that the population at the time was only 15 million, the loss of life was terrifyingly high, but numerical estimates vary widely. Most historians agree that 1.5 million people died and nearly 200,000 refugees fled abroad. The Mexican Revolution is often categorized as the most important social and political event in Mexico and one of the greatest social upheavals of the 20th century.
Chuck’s Conquests
2 million dead
The Chaka Conquests is the term used for a series of massive and brutal conquests in South Africa led by Chaka, the famous monarch of the Zulu Kingdom. In the first half of the 19th century, Chaka led a large army to invade and loot a number of regions in South Africa. It is estimated that up to 2 million indigenous people were killed in the process.
Koguryo-Sui Wars
2 million dead
Another violent conflict in Korea was the Goguryeo-Sui Wars, a series of military campaigns waged by the Chinese Sui Dynasty against Goguryeo, one of the three kingdoms of Korea from 598 to 614. These wars (which were ultimately won by the Koreans) caused 2 million deaths, and the total death toll is probably much higher because Korean civilian casualties were not taken into account.
Religious Wars in France
4 million dead
Also known as the Huguenot Wars, the French Wars of Religion, fought between 1562 and 1598, were a period of civil strife and military confrontation between French Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots). The exact number of wars and their respective dates are still debated by historians, but it is estimated that as many as 4 million people died in the process.
Second Congolese War
5.4 million dead
Also known by several other names such as the Great African War or the African World War, the Second Congo War was the bloodiest in modern African history. Nine African countries directly participated in it, as well as some 20 separate armed groups.
The war was fought for five years (from 1998 to 2003) and resulted in 5.4 million deaths, mostly due to disease and starvation. This makes the Congolese war the deadliest conflict in the world since World War II.
Napoleonic Wars
6 million dead
The Napoleonic Wars, which lasted between 1803 and 1815, were a series of major conflicts waged by the French Empire, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, against a host of European powers formed in various coalitions. During his military career, Napoleon fought some 60 battles and lost only seven, mostly at the end of his reign. Approximately 5 million people died in Europe, including due to disease.
The Thirty Years’ War
11.5 million dead
The Thirty Years War, which was fought between 1618 and 1648, was a series of conflicts for hegemony in Central Europe. The war was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, and it originally began as a conflict between Protestant and Catholic states in the divided Holy Roman Empire. Gradually the war developed into a much larger conflict involving most of the great powers of Europe. Estimates of the death toll vary considerably, but the most likely tally shows that some 8 million people, including civilians, died.
Chinese Civil War
8 million dead
The Chinese Civil War was fought between forces loyal to the Kuomintang (political party of the Republic of China) and forces loyal to the Communist Party of China. The war began in 1927, and did not essentially end until 1950, when major active fighting ceased. The conflict eventually led to the de facto formation of two states: the Republic of China (now known as Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China (mainland China). The war is remembered for its atrocities on both sides: millions of civilians were deliberately killed.
The Russian Civil War
12 million dead
The Russian Civil War, which lasted from 1917 to 1922, broke out as a result of the October Revolution of 1917, when many factions began to fight for power. The two largest groups were the Bolshevik Red Army and the Allied forces known as the White Army. During the 5 years of war there were between 7 and 12 million casualties, which were mostly civilians. The Russian Civil War has even been described as the greatest national disaster Europe has ever faced.
Tamerlane’s Conquests
20 million dead
Also known as Timur, Tamerlane was a famous Turkic-Mongol conqueror and commander. In the second half of the 14th century, he waged fierce military campaigns in Western, Southern, and Central Asia, the Caucasus, and southern Russia. Tamerlane became the most influential ruler in the Muslim world after his victories over the Mamluks of Egypt and Syria, the emerging Ottoman Empire, and the crushing defeat of the Delhi Sultanate. Scholars have estimated that his military campaigns resulted in the deaths of 17 million people, about 5% of the world’s population at the time.
The Dungan Rebellion
20.8 million dead
The Dungan Rebellion was largely an ethnic and religious war fought between the Han Chinese (a Chinese ethnic group originally from East Asia) and the Hui Zu (Chinese Muslims) in 19th century China. The revolt arose from a price dispute (when a Hanzu merchant was not paid the required amount for bamboo sticks by a Heizu buyer). More than 20 million people eventually died in the revolt, mostly due to natural disasters and conditions caused by war, such as drought and famine.
Conquest of the Americas
138 million dead
European colonization of the Americas technically began as early as the 10th century, when Norwegian navigators briefly settled on the shores of present-day Canada. However, we are mostly talking about the period between 1492 and 1691. During these 200 years, tens of millions of people were killed in the battles between colonizers and Native Americans, but estimates of the total death toll vary widely due to a lack of consensus on the demographic size of the pre-Columbian indigenous population.
An Lushan rebellion
36 million dead
During the Tang Dynasty another devastating war took place in China, the An Lushan Rebellion, which lasted from 755 to 763. There is no doubt that the rebellion resulted in a huge number of deaths and significantly reduced the population of the Tang Empire, but the exact number of deaths is difficult to estimate even in approximate terms. Some scholars suggest that as many as 36 million people died during the rebellion, about two-thirds of the empire’s population and about 1/6 of the world’s population.
World War I
18 million dead
World War I (July 1914-November 1918) was a global conflict that arose in Europe and which gradually involved all the economically developed powers of the world, which came together in two opposing alliances: the Entente and the Central Powers. The total death toll was about 11 million soldiers and about 7 million civilians. About two-thirds of the deaths during World War I occurred directly in battle, in contrast to the conflicts of the 19th century, when most deaths were due to disease.
Taiping Rebellion
30 million dead
This rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War, lasted in China from 1850 to 1864. The war was fought between the ruling Manchurian Qing dynasty and the Heavenly Peace Kingdom Christian movement. Although no census was taken at the time, most reliable estimates put the total number of deaths during the uprising at about 20 to 30 million civilians and soldiers. Most of the deaths were attributed to plague and famine.
The conquest of the Qing dynasty by the Ming dynasty
25 million dead
The Manchurian Conquest of China was a period of conflict between the Qing Dynasty (the Manchu dynasty ruling northeastern China) and the Ming Dynasty (the Chinese dynasty ruling the south of the country). The war, which eventually led to the fall of the Ming, caused the deaths of some 25 million people.
Second Sino-Japanese War
30 million dead
The war fought between 1937 and 1945 was an armed conflict between the Republic of China and the Japanese Empire. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor (1941), this war effectively merged into World War II. It became the largest Asian war of the 20th century, with up to 25 million Chinese and more than 4 million Chinese and Japanese soldiers killed.
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms
40 million dead
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms was a series of armed conflicts in ancient China (220-280). During these wars the three states of Wei, Shu and Wu competed for power in the country, trying to unite the peoples and take them under their control. One of the bloodiest periods in Chinese history was marked by a series of brutal battles that could lead to the deaths of up to 40 million people.
Mongol Conquests
70 million dead
The Mongol conquests progressed throughout the 13th century, with the enormous Mongol Empire conquering much of Asia and Eastern Europe. Historians consider the period of Mongol raids and invasions to have been one of the deadliest conflicts in human history. In addition, bubonic plague spread throughout much of Asia and Europe at this time. The total number of deaths during the conquests is estimated at 40 to 70 million.
World War II
85 million dead
World War II (1939 to 1945) was global: the vast majority of the world’s countries participated in it, including all the great powers. It was the most massive war in history, with over 100 million people from more than 30 countries taking a direct part.
It was marked by the massive loss of civilian life, including the Holocaust and the strategic bombing of industrial and populated areas, killing (according to various estimates) between 60 million and 85 million people. As a result, World War II became the deadliest conflict in human history.