World War II Claimed More Lives in This Country Than COVID Did Worldwide

In 1945, Boston University President Daniel L. Marsh honored 223 students and alumni who lost their lives fighting in World War II. He stated that the soldiers had died protecting the values that America stood for — democracy, religious freedom, and the freedom of speech. President Marsh also declared that a memorial would be built on or around campus to preserve the memories of those former BU students. However, this never came to fruition and the names of the 223 people were largely forgotten. But Michael Tozeski, an administrative coordinator in the BU Dean of Students office, could not let that happen. His archival exploration has unearthed the names of 221 out of the 223 students, including the only woman on the list: a Red Cross worker named Margaret (East) Gillum. Tozeski’s work honors those who lost their lives in World War II and reminds us today of the sacrifices many people made to protect our freedoms. (During WWII, here is a timeline of how the Allies turned the tides.)

Considering the several dozen countries that entered WWII, it is not surprising that the death toll was high in multiple regions around the world, while conflict was far reaching. Even countries like Canada saw fallout from the war. While most of the combat was centered in Europe and the Pacific, the majority of deaths occurred elsewhere. 24/7 Wall St. wanted to understand the casualties that took place from World War II. To identify the countries with the most casualties in World War II, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed WWII casualty statistics from World War 2 Facts, an online database of WWII battles. We ranked countries based on total casualties. We included supplemental information regarding military deaths for each country, as well as civilian deaths.

World War II was one of the deadliest conflicts in human history with unprecedented deaths and casualties. In fact, estimates place the total number of people killed during World War II at anywhere from 50 to 85 million. The outcome of World War II largely determined the world we know today, along with many of the current geopolitical and military relationships. Understanding how these countries were impacted by World War II and the casualties that resulted from it provides context for these alliances and greater insight into international relations in general.

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