Title: How Many People Died in the First World War? | History Hit
Headings: How Many People Died in the First World War?
How Many People Died in the First World War?
Peter Curry
Loss of life in Britain
Outside Europe

Content: How Many People Died in the First World War? | History Hit
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How Many People Died in the First World War? Peter Curry
16 Oct 2018
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World War One was one of the bloodiest conflicts in mankind’s history, and saw over 16 million military deaths. When combined, the total number of civilian and military casualties (dead and wounded) is normally estimated at around 37 million people. Out of combat deaths, two out of three soldiers died in battle, while others died due to infections or disease. It is difficult to estimate the total number of deaths, as civilian mortality was not well documented. Consequently civilian deaths are “hazardous to estimate” according to Michael Clodfelter, who maintains that “the generally accepted figure of noncombatant deaths is 6.5 million.” Even the estimates for the number of military deaths are somewhat erratic, and we will never know the true total for the amount of deaths during the war. Around six million men were enlisted in Great Britain, and around 700,000 of those men were killed. Cemetery of the war dead in Verdun.