Libyan Civil War

40,000

estimated total dead

Each dot below represents 1,000 human lives. Scroll to watch the scale unfold.

Military Dead

25,000 soldiers killed in combat, from wounds, or from disease. Each = 1,000 lives.

undefined — 12,000 military dead

undefined — 13,000 military dead

Civilian Dead

15,000 civilians killed — from violence, famine, disease, and displacement. Wars are not fought only by soldiers.

Civilian dead — 15,000

Deadliest Engagements

Battle of Benghazi4,000

incl. 1,500 civilians

LNA Offensive on Tripoli3,000

incl. 1,000 civilians

Fall of Tripoli2,500

incl. 1,000 civilians

Battle of Misrata2,000

incl. 1,200 civilians

Battle of Sirte vs. ISIS700

incl. 200 civilians

Benghazi Uprising500

incl. 200 civilians

Operation Dignity Begins500

incl. 100 civilians

Death of Gaddafi350

incl. 50 civilians

For Perspective

How 's dead compare to other conflicts and events.

— total dead40,000

Migrants who drowned crossing from Libya20,000

Internally displaced400,000

Foreign fighters and mercenaries20,000

UN arms embargo violations0

Milestones of Loss

2,019 dead

Russian Wagner Group mercenaries present from 2019; Turkish troops from 2020

2,024 dead

Conflict ongoing; data reflects estimates through 2024

10,000 dead

Casualty figures highly uncertain due to fragmented conflict and lack of reporting

All figures are historical estimates and vary across sources. The true human cost of war is impossible to fully quantify — these numbers represent the best scholarly consensus. Each number was a person with a name, a family, and a life unlived.