World War II caused an estimated total of approximately 70 to 85 million deaths worldwide, making it the deadliest military conflict in history. This figure includes both military personnel and civilians, with civilian deaths accounting for more than half of the total. Estimates suggest about 20 to 25 million military deaths and around 40 to 55 million civilian deaths, many due to genocide, massacres, bombings, disease, and starvation

. Key details include:

• The Soviet Union suffered the highest losses, with around 27 million deaths (including about 8.7 million military and 19 million civilians)

• Nazi Germany caused the deaths of over 11 million people through systematic extermination, including 6 million Jews in the Holocaust

• Other major losses were in China, with estimates of 20 million deaths, and significant casualties in Germany, Japan, Poland, and other countries

Overall, the war's death toll represents about 3% of the global population at the time, reflecting the massive scale of human suffering during the conflict