Throughout the period in which the United States was in an armed conflict with the Communist-led government and insurgency in Vietnam (referred to as the "Vietnam War" in the U.S. and the "Resistance War against the United States" in Vietnam), around 40 percent of the 8.7 million U.S. military service personnel were stationed in South-East Asia. Of these personnel in the theatre of war, around two percent were killed during the conflict.

This war was part of the wider Cold War of the second half of the 20th century, where the rivalry between the superpowers of the United States and Soviet Union dominated the post-World War II era. During this period the U.S. stationed much of its remaining five million service personnel outside of active conflict zones, especially in strategically important countries such as (West) Germany, South Korea, and Japan, in addition to those stationed at home.

The American Civil War is the conflict with the largest number of American military fatalities in history. In fact, the Civil War's death toll is comparable to all other major wars combined, the deadliest of which were the World Wars, which have a combined death toll of more than 520,000 American fatalities. The ongoing series of conflicts and interventions in the Middle East and North Africa, collectively referred to as the War on Terror in the west, has a combined death toll of more than 7,000 for the U.S. military since 2001. Other records In terms of the number of deaths per day, the American Civil War is still at the top, with an average of 425 deaths per day, while the First and Second World Wars have averages of roughly 100 and 200 fatalities per day respectively. Technically, the costliest battle in U.S. military history was the Battle of Elsenborn Ridge, which was a part of the Battle of the Bulge in the Second World War, and saw upwards of 5,000 deaths over 10 days. However, the Battle of Gettysburg had more military fatalities of American soldiers, with almost 3,200 Union deaths and over 3,900 Confederate deaths, giving a combined total of more than 7,000. The Battle of Antietam is viewed as the bloodiest day in American military history, with over 3,600 combined fatalities and almost 23,000 total casualties on September 17, 1862. Revised Civil War figures For more than a century, the total death toll of the American Civil War was generally accepted to be around 620,000, a number which was first proposed by Union historians William F. Fox and Thomas L. Livermore in 1888. This number was calculated by using enlistment figures, battle reports, and census data, however many prominent historians since then have thought the number should be higher. In 2011, historian J. David Hacker conducted further investigations and claimed that the number was closer to 750,000 (and possibly as high as 850,000). While many Civil War historians agree that this is possible, and even likely, obtaining consistently accurate figures has proven to be impossible until now; both sides were poor at keeping detailed records throughout the war, and much of the Confederacy's records were lost by the war's end. Many Confederate widows also did not register their husbands death with the authorities, as they would have then been ineligible for benefits.

About this Dataset

Vietnam Conflict Casualties from the National Archives.

Category

Government

Keywords

vietnam,war,military

Row Count

58071

Price

Free

Vietnam Crude Death Rate: Rural data was reported at 7.300 ‰ in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 7.200 ‰ for 2016. Vietnam Crude Death Rate: Rural data is updated yearly, averaging 7.200 ‰ from Dec 2001 (Median) to 2017, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.500 ‰ in 2013 and a record low of 5.400 ‰ in 2001. Vietnam Crude Death Rate: Rural data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by General Statistics Office. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Vietnam – Table VN.G058: Vital Statistics.

Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in Vietnam was reported at 6.577 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Vietnam - Death rate, crude - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Vietnam VN: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 5.821 Ratio in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 5.806 Ratio for 2015. Vietnam VN: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 6.558 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.044 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 5.521 Ratio in 2002. Vietnam VN: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Vietnam – Table VN.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Tuberculosis death rate (per 100,000 people) in Vietnam was reported at 11 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Vietnam - Tuberculosis death rate (per 100,000 people) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Cause of death, by non-communicable diseases (% of total) in Vietnam was reported at 81.37 % in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Vietnam - Cause of death, by non-communicable diseases (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Cause of death, by injury (% of total) in Vietnam was reported at 9.3285 % in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Vietnam - Cause of death, by injury (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

This scatter chart displays death rate (per 1,000 people) against military expenditure (% of GDP) in Vietnam. The data is about countries per year.

Vietnam VN: Cause of Death: by Injury: % of Total data was reported at 11.300 % in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 11.300 % for 2015. Vietnam VN: Cause of Death: by Injury: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 11.400 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.000 % in 2000 and a record low of 11.300 % in 2016. Vietnam VN: Cause of Death: by Injury: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Vietnam – Table VN.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Cause of death refers to the share of all deaths for all ages by underlying causes. Injuries include unintentional and intentional injuries.; ; Derived based on the data from WHO's Global Health Estimates.; Weighted average;

This scatter chart displays death rate (per 1,000 people) against unemployment (% of total labor force) in Vietnam. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

This scatter chart displays death rate (per 1,000 people) against birth rate (per 1,000 people) in Vietnam. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

The Korean War was an international military conflict which lasted from June 1950 until July 1953, which pitted the communist forces of North Korea, the Soviet Union, and the People's Republic of China against South Korea and a U.S.-led UN force comprised of troops from over 20 additional countries. The war was the United States' first major military engagement of the Cold War, the period of rivalry and heightened tension between the world's two superpowers, the U.S. and Soviet Union. While the war was one of the deadliest in the Cold War and the 20th century in general, it resulted in a stalemate between the North and South, with the boundary between the two countries remaining to this day at the 38th parallel line. The two countries remain technically at war to the present day, as the South's dictator, Syngman Rhee, refused to sign the peace agreement which in practice ended the fighting in the war.

U.S. military deaths in Korea

The majority of U.S. military fatalities during the Korean War were battle deaths (63 percent), with a smaller number of deaths while missing (12 percent), deaths while captured (eight percent), or deaths from battle wounds (seven percent). In addition, around three percent of deaths were from airplane crashes which were not caused by hostile forces, with another seven percent dying of other causes unrelated to battle. In total around 36,000 U.S. military servicemembers were killed in Korea, out of a total of around 40,000 deaths for the UN forces combined. The war was the United States' second deadliest conflict of the Cold War, as well as its fifth deadliest ever, after the Vietnam War, World War I, World War II, and the Civil War.

Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions (% of total) in Vietnam was reported at 9.3049 % in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Vietnam - Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on May of 2025.

This scatter chart displays death rate (per 1,000 people) against female population (people) in Vietnam. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

Vietnam Crude Death Rate data was reported at 6.800 % in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 6.800 % for 2015. Vietnam Crude Death Rate data is updated yearly, averaging 6.300 % from Dec 2001 (Median) to 2016, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.100 % in 2013 and a record low of 5.100 % in 2001. Vietnam Crude Death Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by General Statistics Office. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Vietnam – Table VN.G058: Vital Statistics.

This scatter chart displays death rate (per 1,000 people) against methane emissions (Mt of CO2 equivalent) in Vietnam. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

Vietnam VN: Number of Death: Infant data was reported at 26,124.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 26,736.000 Person for 2016. Vietnam VN: Number of Death: Infant data is updated yearly, averaging 69,038.000 Person from Dec 1965 (Median) to 2017, with 53 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 85,035.000 Person in 1973 and a record low of 26,124.000 Person in 2017. Vietnam VN: Number of Death: Infant data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Vietnam – Table VN.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Number of infants dying before reaching one year of age.; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Sum;

Vietnam Crude Death Rate: Urban data was reported at 6.200 % in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 5.800 % for 2015. Vietnam Crude Death Rate: Urban data is updated yearly, averaging 5.150 % from Dec 2001 (Median) to 2016, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.200 % in 2016 and a record low of 3.900 % in 2001. Vietnam Crude Death Rate: Urban data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by General Statistics Office. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Vietnam – Table VN.G058: Vital Statistics.