Nine Largest Wars (by Death Toll)
Three of the ten most costly wars, in terms of loss of life, have been waged in the last century. These are of course the two World Wars, then followed by the Second Sino-Japanese War (which is sometimes considered part of World War II, or overlapping with that war). Most of the others involved China or neighboring peoples. The death toll of World War II, being 60 million plus, surpasses all other war-death-tolls by a factor of two. This may be due to significant recent advances in weapons technologies, as well as recent increases in the overall human population.
| Deaths (millions) |
Date | War |
|---|---|---|
| 60–72 | 1939–1945 | World War II (see World War II casualties) |
| 36 | 755–763 | An Shi Rebellion (number exaggerated based on census system,but not considering the territorial shrink and inefficient census system afterwar） |
| 30–60 | 13th century | Mongol Conquests (see Mongol invasions and Tatar invasions) |
| 20 | 1914–1918 | World War I (see World War I casualties) |
| 20 | 1850–1864 | Taiping Rebellion (see Dungan revolt) |
| 20 | 1937–1945 | Second Sino-Japanese War |
| 8–12 | 1862–1877 | Dungan revolt |
| 7–20 | 1370–1405 | Conquests of Tamerlane |
| 5–9 | 1917–1922 | Russian Civil War and Foreign Intervention |
Read more about this topic: War
Famous quotes containing the words largest, wars and/or death:
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—Lydia Hoyt Farmer (1842–1903)
“There’s in people simply an urge to destroy, an urge to kill, to murder and rage, and until all mankind, without exception, undergoes a great change, wars will be waged, everything that has been built up, cultivated, and grown will be destroyed and disfigured, after which mankind will have to begin all over again.”
—Anne Frank (1929–1945)
“Can even death dry up
These new delighted lakes, conclude
Our kneeling as cattle by all-generous waters?”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)