Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
Costs of War

Summary

  • Over 937,000 people have died in the post-9/11 wars due to direct war violence, and several times as many due to the reverberating effects of war
  • An estimated 3.6-3.7 million people have died indirectly in post-9/11 war zones, bringing the total death toll to at least 4.5-4.6 million and counting.
  • Over 387,000 civilians have been killed as a result of the fighting
  • 38 million — the number of war refugees and displaced persons
  • The U.S. federal price tag for the post-9/11 wars is over $8 trillion 
  • The U.S. government is conducting counterterror activities in 85 countries
  • The wars have been accompanied by violations of human rights and civil liberties, in the U.S. and abroad

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Overview

The Costs of War project