Estimates for the total death count of the Second World War generally range somewhere between 70 and 85 million people. The Soviet Union suffered the highest number of fatalities of any single nation, with estimates mostly falling between 22 and 27 million deaths. China then suffered the second greatest, at around 20 million, although these figures are less certain and often overlap with the Chinese Civil War. Over 80 percent of all deaths were of those from Allied countries, and the majority of these were civilians. In contrast, 15 to 20 percent were among the Axis powers, and the majority of these were military deaths, as shown in the death ratios of Germany and Japan. Civilian deaths and atrocities It is believed that 60 to 67 percent of all deaths were civilian fatalities, largely resulting from war-related famine or disease, and war crimes or atrocities. Systematic genocide, extermination campaigns, and forced labor, particularly by the Germans, Japanese, and Soviets, led to the deaths of millions. In this regard, Nazi activities alone resulted in 17 million deaths, including six million Jews in what is now known as The Holocaust. Not only was the scale of the conflict larger than any that had come before, but the nature of and reasoning behind this loss make the Second World War stand out as one of the most devastating and cruelest conflicts in history. Problems with these statistics Although the war is considered by many to be the defining event of the 20th century, exact figures for death tolls have proven impossible to determine, for a variety of reasons. Countries such as the U.S. have fairly consistent estimates due to preserved military records and comparatively few civilian casualties, although figures still vary by source. For most of Europe, records are less accurate. Border fluctuations and the upheaval of the interwar period mean that pre-war records were already poor or non-existent for many regions. The rapid and chaotic nature of the war then meant that deaths could not be accurately recorded at the time, and mass displacement or forced relocation resulted in the deaths of many civilians outside of their homeland, which makes country-specific figures more difficult to find. Early estimates of the war’s fatalities were also taken at face value and formed the basis of many historical works; these were often very inaccurate, but the validity of the source means that the figures continue to be cited today, despite contrary evidence.

In comparison to Europe, estimate ranges are often greater across Asia, where populations were larger but pre-war data was in short supply. Many of the Asian countries with high death tolls were European colonies, and the actions of authorities in the metropoles, such as the diversion of resources from Asia to Europe, led to millions of deaths through famine and disease. Additionally, over one million African soldiers were drafted into Europe’s armies during the war, yet individual statistics are unavailable for most of these colonies or successor states (notably Algeria and Libya). Thousands of Asian and African military deaths went unrecorded or are included with European or Japanese figures, and there are no reliable figures for deaths of millions from countries across North Africa or East Asia. Additionally, many concentration camp records were destroyed, and such records in Africa and Asia were even sparser than in Europe. While the Second World War is one of the most studied academic topics of the past century, it is unlikely that we will ever have a clear number for the lives lost in the conflict.

Over the course of the Second World War approximately 127.2 million people were mobilized. The world's population in 1940 was roughly 2.3 billion, meaning that between five and six percent of the world was drafted into the military in some capacity. Approximately one in every 25 people mobilized were women, who generally served in an administrative or medical role, although hundreds of thousands of women did see active combat. Largest armies In absolute numbers, the Soviet Union mobilized the largest number of people at just under 34.5 million, and this included roughly 35 percent of the USSR's male population. By the war's end, more Soviets were mobilized than all European Axis powers combined. However, in relative terms, it was Germany who mobilized the largest share of its male population, with approximately 42 percent of men serving. The USSR was forced to find a balance between reinforcing its frontlines and maintaining agricultural and military production to supply its army (in addition to those in annexed territory after 1941), whereas a large share of soldiers taken from the German workforce were replaced by workers drafted or forcibly taken from other countries (including concentration camp prisoners and PoWs). Studying the figures The figures given in these statistics are a very simplified and rounded overview - in reality, there were many nuances in the number of people who were effectively mobilized for each country, their roles, and their status as auxiliary, collaborative, or resistance forces. The British Empire is the only power where distinctions are made between the metropole and its colonies or territories, whereas breakdowns of those who fought in other parts of Asia or Africa remains unclear. Additionally, when comparing this data with total fatalities, it is important to account for the civilian death toll, i.e. those who were not mobilized.

United States - Population Level - Men, Veterans, World War II or Korean War or Vietnam Era, 18 Years and over was 4697.00000 Thous. of Persons in June of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Population Level - Men, Veterans, World War II or Korean War or Vietnam Era, 18 Years and over reached a record high of 11434.00000 in September of 2008 and a record low of 4697.00000 in June of 2025. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Population Level - Men, Veterans, World War II or Korean War or Vietnam Era, 18 Years and over - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

It is estimated that the Second World War was responsible for the deaths of approximately 3.76 percent of the world's population between 1939 and 1945. In 2022, where the world's population reached eight billion, this would be equal to the death of around 300 million people.

The region that experienced the largest loss of life relative to its population was the South Seas Mandate - these were former-German territories given to the Empire of Japan through the Treaty of Versailles following WWI, and they make up much of the present-day countries of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands (U.S. territory), and Palau. Due to the location and strategic importance of these islands, they were used by the Japanese as launching pads for their attacks on Pearl Harbor and in the South Pacific, while they were also taken as part of the Allies' island-hopping strategy in their counteroffensive against Japan. This came at a heavy cost for the local populations, a large share of whom were Japanese settlers who had moved there in the 1920s and 1930s. Exact figures for both pre-war populations and wartime losses fluctuate by source, however civilian losses in these islands were extremely high as the Japanese defenses resorted to more extreme measures in the war's final phase.

Graph and download economic data for Labor Force Participation Rate - Veterans, Vietnam-Era and Earlier Wartime Periods, 18 Years and over, Women (LNU01373766) from Sep 2008 to Jun 2025 about korean war, Vietnam Era, World War, 18 years +, veterans, females, participation, civilian, labor force, labor, household survey, rate, and USA.

United States - Unemployment Level - Veterans, World War II or Korean War or Vietnam Era, 18 Years and over was 16.00000 Thous. of Persons in May of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Unemployment Level - Veterans, World War II or Korean War or Vietnam Era, 18 Years and over reached a record high of 393.00000 in August of 2010 and a record low of 4.00000 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Unemployment Level - Veterans, World War II or Korean War or Vietnam Era, 18 Years and over - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

United States - Civilian Labor Force Level - Veterans, World War II or Korean War or Vietnam Era, 18 Years and over was 597.00000 Thous. of Persons in May of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Civilian Labor Force Level - Veterans, World War II or Korean War or Vietnam Era, 18 Years and over reached a record high of 4710.00000 in November of 2008 and a record low of 545.00000 in April of 2025. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Civilian Labor Force Level - Veterans, World War II or Korean War or Vietnam Era, 18 Years and over - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Throughout the Second World War, the United States consistently had the largest gross domestic product (GDP) in the world. Additionally, U.S. GDP grew significantly throughout the war, whereas the economies of Europe and Japan saw relatively little growth, and were often in decline. The impact of key events in the war is also reflected in the trends shown here - the economic declines of France and the Soviet Union coincide with the years of German invasion, while the economies of the three Axis countries experienced their largest declines in the final year of the war.

Graph and download economic data for Population Level - Veterans, Vietnam-Era and Earlier Wartime Periods, 18 Years and over (LNU00077884) from Sep 2008 to Jun 2025 about korean war, Vietnam Era, World War, 18 years +, veterans, civilian, population, and USA.

In 1940, the Soviet Union produced significantly less industrial material than the United States in terms of natural resources and construction materials. The same was true when compared with Germany, apart from iron and steel; the USSR produced over double the amount of iron ore as Germany, and a similar amount of cast iron and steel. However, while the U.S. and Soviet populations were more comparable in 1940, Germany's population was around 70 million, which was 100 million fewer than the USSR; therefore the difference in per capita output was even higher in Germany than what is shown in the graph.

In 1938, the year before the Second World War, the United States had, by far, the largest economy in the world in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). The five Allied Great Powers that emerged victorious from the war, along with the three Axis Tripartite Pact countries that were ultimately defeated made up the eight largest independent economies in 1938.

When values are converted into 1990 international dollars, the U.S. GDP was over 800 billion dollars in 1938, which was more than double that of the second largest economy, the Soviet Union. Even the combined economies of the UK, its dominions, and colonies had a value of just over 680 billion 1990 dollars, showing that the United States had established itself as the world's leading economy during the interwar period (despite the Great Depression).

Interestingly, the British and Dutch colonies had larger combined GDPs than their respective metropoles, which was a key motivator for the Japanese invasion of these territories in East Asia during the war. Trade with neutral and non-belligerent countries also contributed greatly to the economic development of Allied and Axis powers throughout the war; for example, natural resources from Latin America were essential to the American war effort, while German manufacturing was often dependent on Swedish iron supplies.

As of 2021, there were over 200,000 living United States veterans who served in the Second World War. The Department of Veteran Affairs projects that the number of living veterans will decline rapidly in the fifteen years until 2036, at which point just a few hundred Americans who served in the war will be still alive. The passing of the "Greatest Generation" is seen as symbolic by some, as for many people they represented the era when the United States' power on the world stage was at its greatest. The Second World war is particularly remembered as a "just" war in the U.S., as the United States was seen as fighting for democracy and self-determination, and against the tyrannies of Fascism, Nazism, and Japanese Imperialism.

The United States' involvement in the Second World War

World War II marked the peak in military enlistments in U.S. history, with over 16 million service members serving worldwide during the conflict. The U.S. joined the war in 1941 due to Imperial Japan's attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, before joining the European theater of the war in 1944 during the Invasion of Normandy. The U.S. military played a vital role in the defeat of Nazi Germany on the Western Front in May 1945, while the Soviet Red Army defeated the Wehrmacht in the East. The U.S. was also vital in the defeat of Fascist Italy, as they had led an allied invasion force onto the Italian peninsula from Northern Africa in September 1943. The final action of the war took place in the Asian theater of war, as Imperial Japan was the last of the Axis powers to concede defeat to the Allies. The United States effectively ended the war with the dropping of two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, leading to as many as a quarter of a million deaths. It remains to this day the sole use of atomic weapons in an active conflict.

World War II Weather Record Transmittances are a record of the weather and meteorological data observed during World War II and transferred to the archive. It includes lists of data types, forms, and dates that the observations were delivered.

Graph and download economic data for Unemployment Rate - Veterans, Vietnam-Era and Earlier Wartime Periods, 18 Years and over (LNU04077884) from Sep 2008 to Jun 2025 about korean war, Vietnam Era, World War, 18 years +, veterans, household survey, unemployment, rate, and USA.

Throughout the Second World War, approximately 27 million rifles and carbines were produced by the major powers after they had officially joined the war. The United States and USSR each produced over 12 million rifles and carbines, while the Germans produced over 10 million. Japan and the United Kingdom produced significantly fewer rifles and carbines during the war, however differences in production correlate somewhat to manpower around 1943. The UK was also the only power to produce more machine pistols than rifles or carbines, manufacturing around four million machine pistols compared to just 2.5 million rifles and carbines.

This dataset is about books. It has 1 row and is filtered where the book is The joy of freedom : a graphic account of life in a prisoner of war camp during the Second World War, including some unique photographs, and a selection of humorous short stories. It features 7 columns including author, publication date, language, and book publisher.

The Holocaust was the systematic extermination of Europe's Jewish population in the Second World War, during which time, up to six million Jews were murdered as part of Nazi Germany's "Final Solution to the Jewish Question". In the context of the Second World War, the term "Holocaust" is traditionally used to reference the genocide of Europe's Jews, although this coincided with the Nazi regime's genocide and ethnic cleansing of an additional eleven million people deemed "undesirable" due to their ethnicity, beliefs, disability or sexuality (among others). During the Holocaust, Poland's Jewish population suffered the largest number of fatalities, with approximately three million deaths. Additionally, at least one million Jews were murdered in the Soviet Union, while Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Yugoslavia also lost the majority of their respective pre-war Jewish populations. The Holocaust in Poland In the interwar period, Europe's Jewish population was concentrated in the east, with roughly one third living in Poland; this can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when thousands of Jews flocked to Eastern Europe to escape persecution. At the outbreak of the Second World War, it is estimated that there were 3.4 million Jews living in Poland, which was approximately ten percent of the total population. Following the German invasion of Poland, Nazi authorities then segregated Jews in ghettos across most large towns and cities, and expanded their network of concentration camps throughout the country. In the ghettos, civilians were deprived of food, and hundreds of thousands died due to disease and starvation; while prison labor was implemented under extreme conditions in concentration camps to fuel the German war effort. In Poland, six extermination camps were also operational between December 1941 and January 1945, which saw the mass extermination of approximately 2.7 million people over the next three years (including many non-Poles, imported from other regions of Europe). While concentration camps housed prisoners of all backgrounds, extermination camps were purpose-built for the elimination of the Jewish race, and over 90% of their victims were Jewish. The majority of the victims in these extermination camps were executed by poison gas, although disease, starvation and overworking were also common causes of death. In addition to the camps and ghettos, SS death squads (Einsatzgruppen) and local collaborators also committed widespread atrocities across Eastern Europe. While the majority of these atrocities took place in the Balkan, Baltic and Soviet regions, they were still prevalent in Poland (particularly during the liquidation of the ghettos), and the Einsatzgruppen alone are estimated to have killed up to 1.3 million Jews throughout the Holocaust. By early 1945, Soviet forces had largely expelled the German armies from Poland and liberated the concentration and extermination camps; by this time, Poland had lost roughly ninety percent of its pre-war Jewish population, and suffered approximately three million further civilian and military deaths. By 1991, Poland's Jewish population was estimated to be just 15 thousand people, while there were fewer than two thousand Jews recorded as living in Poland in 2018.

Unemployment Rate - Women, Veterans, World War II or Korean War or Vietnam Era, 18 Years and over was 7.30% in April of 2019, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Unemployment Rate - Women, Veterans, World War II or Korean War or Vietnam Era, 18 Years and over reached a record high of 13.90 in April of 2011 and a record low of 0.00 in November of 2011. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Unemployment Rate - Women, Veterans, World War II or Korean War or Vietnam Era, 18 Years and over - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

The Second World War was the first major international conflict to utilize aerial warfare to its full potential. The production of military aircraft took place on an unprecedented scale, with the United States producing over 190,000 planes in less than four years. In 1944 alone, The United States built more aircraft than Japan did throughout the entire war. Additionally, the major Allied powers built a total of almost 400,000 aircraft while militarily involved in the war, in comparison to the 158,000 produced by the Tripartite Axis powers.

The first half of the 20th century saw a dramatic shift in naval warfare and the types of ships that were used in conflict at sea. Changing nature of naval warfare In 1906, the HMS Dreadnought battleship revolutionized naval warfare, as it was steam powered, incredibly fast for its size, quickly built, and its primary battery of guns was mounted on the main deck. The HMS Dreadnought then inspired virtually all battleships that came after it, in what would become a naval arms race, but as technology advanced in the interwar period, some proposed that aircraft carriers should become the most important ships in the navy. While the attack on Pearl Harbor would highlight the effectiveness of naval air power, and battleships themselves were among the primary targets in the attack, it was not until 1942 at battles such as Midway or the Battle of the Coral Sea where the aircraft carrier established itself as the heart of the navy. Battleships, as well as cruisers or destroyers, largely played a supporting role for the remainder of the war, and (apart from two events) major naval battles became a thing of the past after WWII. Ascendancy of the U.S. Navy Another significant development of WWII was the emergence of the United States as the world's foremost naval power. During the war, the U.S. built almost 9,000 war vessels (not including landing vessels), which was more than three times the amount of all other powers combined. U.S. production capacity meant that it was able to continually produce and replace major vessels as the war waged on. In contrast, the Japanese did not have the ability to replace lost or damaged ships, which contributed to their eventual defeat in the Pacific. In Europe, the conflict was much more concentrated on land; however, the German Navy prioritized the production of submarines, which it used to great effect when attacking transatlantic shipping that supplied the UK - the Battle of the Atlantic would largely be settled by the end of 1943, with the Royal Navy and Commonwealth forces sinking over half of all German U-boats.