Second Sino-Japanese War

21,255,700

disputed broad estimate

The 21.26 million display allocation is a broad and disputed estimate. Chinese civilian mortality from massacre, bombing, forced labor, famine, flood, and disease is incomplete, and military categories vary by government and endpoint.

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

Military Dead

Working allocation: 4,255,700 soldiers killed in combat, from wounds, or from disease. Each = 1,000 lives.

Republic of China — 3,800,000 military dead

Imperial Japan — 455,700 military dead

Civilian Dead

17,000,000 civilians killed — from violence, famine, disease, and displacement. Wars are not fought only by soldiers.

Civilian dead — 17,000,000

Deadliest Engagements

Operation Ichigo (April–December 1944)600,000

incl. 100,000 civilians

Yellow River Flood (June 1938)500,000

incl. 500,000 civilians

Battle of Wuhan (June–October 1938)420,000

incl. 20,000 civilians

Battle of Shanghai (August–November 1937)310,000

incl. 10,000 civilians

Nanjing Massacre (December 1937–January 1938)300,000

incl. 210,000 civilians

Battles of Changsha (1939–1942)220,000

incl. 20,000 civilians

Chongqing Bombing Campaign (1938–1943)25,000

incl. 25,000 civilians

For Perspective

How Sino-Japanese War's dead compare to other conflicts and events.

Sino-Japanese War — working total21,255,700

Chinese dead (all causes)20,000,000

Holocaust victims6,000,000

Japanese military dead (China)455,700

US military dead (all WWII)405,399

Yellow River flood victims500,000

Nanjing Massacre victims250,000

Milestones of Loss

1,000,000 dead

1 million dead — exceeded in the first months of the war

6,000,000 dead

6 million — equal to the entire Holocaust

10,000,000 dead

10 million — more than all Allied deaths in WWII combined

20,000,000 dead

20 million — the estimated total Chinese death toll

Figures are working historical estimates and vary across sources. Labels identify totals that are reported, disputed, or unknown; numerical allocations may be retained for comparison without implying exact knowledge. Each number represents human lives, not false precision.