Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in Syria since unrest began in the country two years ago , according to the latest estimate from the United Nations . And that might actually be an underestimate . U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Syria 's raging civil war has made it `` increasingly challenging '' to collect accurate and reliable data . Opposition : March was deadliest month in Syrian civil war . But even if that number is on the low side , it does provide a way to put Syria 's conflict in historical context . Take a look at Syria 's statistics below and see how they compare with statistics from another recent civil war ( Libya ) , civil wars in countries of similar size ( Yugoslavia in the 1990s and Spain in the 1930s ) and even the Civil War in the United States . Syria uprisingOngoing since March 2011 ( 2 years ) 70,000 : The estimated death toll as of mid-February , according to the United Nations Human Rights Center . 22,530,746 : Syria 's estimated population in July 2012 , according to the CIA World Factbook . 0.311 : Approximate percentage of the Syrian population killed so far . ( For comparison 's sake , 0.311 % of the population would be 976,066 people for the United States , 196,077 people for the United Kingdom and 4,177,476 people for China , the world 's most populous country . ) 3,043 : Average number of deaths per month . Libyan civil warFebruary 2011-October 2011 ( 8 months ) 30,000 : Estimated death toll , according to Libya 's transitional government . 6,461,454 : Libya 's estimated population in 2011 , according to the CIA World Factbook . 0.464 : Approximate percentage of the Libyan population killed during the civil war . 3,750 : Average number of deaths per month . Yugoslav warMarch 1991-November 1995 ( 4 years , 7 months ) February 1998-June 1999 ( 1 year , 4 months ) 140,000 : Estimated dead , according to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia . 23,976,040 : Yugoslavia 's approximate population in July 1991 , according to the CIA World Factbook . 0.584 : Approximate percentage of the Yugoslavian population killed during the wars ( using 1991 population ) 1,972 : Average number of deaths per month . Spanish Civil WarJuly 1936-April 1939 ( 2 years , 9 months ) 500,000 : Estimated death toll by many sources . 24,849,298 : Population at the end of 1935 , according to the National Statistics Institute of Spain . 2.012 : Approximate percentage of the Spanish population killed . 15,152 : Average number of deaths per month . U.S. Civil WarApril 1861-May 1865 ( 4 years , 1 month ) 618,222 : Estimated death toll for more than a century . 31,443,321 : U.S. population in 1860 , the most recent census before the war . 1.966 : Approximate percentage of the U.S. population killed during the war . 12,617 : Average number of deaths per month .
Current estimate : Syria 's civil war claimed nearly 400 lives in just less than two years . On average , that comes out to 3,043 deaths a month and 0.311 % of the total population . How do Syria 's wars compare with some past civil wars in history ?