Possible estimates on the number of people killed in the invasion and occupation of Iraq vary widely, and are highly disputed. For more info see Casualties of the Iraq War. Estimates of casualties below include both the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the following Post-invasion Iraq, 2003–present.
Iraqi deaths.
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Opinion Research Business (ORB) poll conducted August 12-19, 2007 estimated 1,220,580 violent deaths due to the Iraq War. A nationally representative sample of 1,499 Iraqi adults answered whether any members of their household (living under their roof) were killed due to the Iraq War. 22% of the respondents had lost one or more household members. ORB reported that "48% died from a gunshot wound, 20% from the impact of a car bomb, 9% from aerial bombardment, 6% as a result of an accident and 6% from another blast/ordnance."
The Iraq Body Count (IBC) figure of 73,390 to 79,999 civilian deaths reported in English-language media (including Arabic media translated into English) up to 21 September 2007 includes civilian deaths due to coalition and insurgent military action, sectarian violence and increased criminal violence. The IBC says the figure likely underestimates because: "it should be noted that many deaths will likely go unreported or unrecorded by officials and media." For the 4th year of the war between 20 March 2006 and 16 March 2007 the Iraq Body Count reported approximately 26,540 civilian deaths.
The United Nations reported that 34,452 violent deaths occurred in 2006, based on data from morgues, hospitals, and municipal authorities across Iraq.
The Lancet study's figure of 654,965 excess deaths through the end of June 2006 is based on household survey data. The estimate is for all excess violent and nonviolent deaths. That also includes those due to increased lawlessness, degraded infrastructure, poorer healthcare, etc.. 601,027 deaths (range of 426,369 to 793,663 using a 95% confidence interval) were estimated to be due to violence. 31% of those were attributed to the Coalition, 24% to others, 46% unknown. The causes of violent deaths were gunshot (56%), car bomb (13%), other explosion/ordnance (14%), air strike (13%), accident (2%), unknown (2%).
Iraq's Health Minister Ali al-Shemari estimated 100,000 to 150,000 Iraq War deaths in a November 2006 press conference, based on extrapolating the 2006 rate of 100 deaths per day recorded in hospitals and morgues backward to March 2003. War-related deaths (civilian and non-civilian), and deaths from criminal gangs.
Los Angeles Times: "At least 50,000 Iraqis have died violently"—as of June 2006. "Many more Iraqis are believed to have been killed but not counted because of serious lapses in recording deaths. ... The Los Angeles Times attempted to reach a comprehensive figure by obtaining statistics from the Baghdad morgue and the Health Ministry and checking those numbers against a sampling of local health departments for possible undercounts."
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Iraqi Security Forces (aligned with Coalition). |
7,460 total police and military killed as of 23 September 2007.
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U.S. armed forces. |
3,800 dead. 8,298 wounded - medical air transport required. 19,469 wounded - no medical air transport required. Of all the wounded 12,537 were unable to return to duty within 72 hours. Medical air transport was required for an additional 7,533 non-hostile injuries, and 21,112 diseases or other medical conditions. Totals as listed at source pages on 25 September 2007.
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Coalition deaths by hostile fire. |
3,337 of the 4,100 coalition military deaths, including 3,109 of the 3,800 U.S. deaths. Totals as listed at source pages on 25 September 2007.
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Armed forces of other coalition countries. |
See Multinational force in Iraq
300 total deaths. Breakdown:
Australia 2.
Bulgaria 13.
Czech Republic 1.
Denmark 7.
El Salvador 5.
Estonia 2.
Hungary 1.
Italy 33.
Kazakhstan 1.
Latvia 3.
Netherlands 2.
Poland 21.
Romania 3.
Slovakia 4.
South Korea 1.
Spain 11.
Thailand 2.
Ukraine 18.
United Kingdom 170.
Totals as listed at source page on 25 September 2007.
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Contractors. |
At least 933 deaths between March 2003 and July 3, 2007. 224 of those are from the USA. Contractors are "Americans, Iraqis and workers from more than three dozen other countries." Nearly 13,000 wounded or injured. Contractors "cook meals, do laundry, repair infrastructure, translate documents, analyze intelligence, guard prisoners, protect military convoys, deliver water in the heavily fortified Green Zone and stand sentry at buildings - often highly dangerous duties almost identical to those performed by many U.S. troops." 182,000 employees of U.S.-government-funded contractors and subcontractors (118,000 Iraqi, 43,000 Other, 21,000 U.S.).
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Media and aid workers. |
102 journalists, 39 media support workers, and 88 aid workers have been killed.
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- References
- "NPR: The Toll of War". National Public Radio's website bar chart of various death toll estimates.
- George W. Bush, "President Discusses War on Terror and Upcoming Iraqi Elections ". White House transcript. Dec. 12, 2005. Says 30,000 Iraqi dead.
- "Bush: Iraqi democracy making progress". CNN. Dec. 12, 2005. "I would say 30,000, more or less, have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis," Bush said. CNN writes: "White House spokesman Scott McClellan later said Bush was basing his statement on media reports, 'not an official government estimate.' "
- "More than 1,000,000 Iraqis murdered". September 2007. Opinion Research Business. PDF report:
- "Poll: Civilian Death Toll in Iraq May Top 1 Million". By Tina Susman. Sept. 14, 2007. Los Angeles Times.
- "Greenspan Admits Iraq was About Oil, As Deaths Put at 1.2 Million". By Peter Beaumont and Joanna Walters. Sept. 16, 2007. The Observer (UK).
- "The Media Ignore Credible Poll Revealing 1.2 Million Violent Deaths In Iraq". Sept. 18, 2007. MediaLens.
- Iraq Body Count project. Source of IBC quote on undercounting by media is here.
- "Year Four: Simply the worst". Press Release 15, Iraq Body Count.
- "Iraqi death toll estimates go as high as 150,000". Taipei Times, Nov. 11, 2006.
- "Iraqi health minister estimates as many as 150,000 Iraqis killed by insurgents". International Herald Tribune. Nov. 9, 2006.
- "War's Iraqi Death Toll Tops 50,000". Louise Roug and Doug Smith. Los Angeles Times. June 25, 2006.
- "Iraqi Death Toll Exceeded 34,000 in '06, U.N. Says". By Sabrina Tavernise. New York Times. Jan. 17, 2007.
- 2006 Lancet study. PDF file of Lancet article: Template:PDFlink. By Gilbert Burnham, Riyadh Lafta, Shannon Doocy, and Les Roberts. The Lancet, October 11, 2006.
- Supplement to 2006 Lancet study: Template:PDFlink. By Gilbert Burnham, Shannon Doocy, Elizabeth Dzeng, Riyadh Lafta, and Les Roberts.
- IRAQ INDEX. Tracking Reconstruction and Security in Post-Saddam Iraq, see the latest PDF file linked there. Brookings Institution.
- "Forces: U.S. & Coalition Casualties". CNN, From March 2003 onwards.
- iCasualties.org (was lunaville.org). Benicia, California. Patricia Kneisler, et al., "Iraq Coalition Casualties".
- iCasualties - "Deaths By Coalition Country".
- iCasualties - Journalist deaths in Iraq.
- iCasualties - Coalition fatalities by cause of death.
- iCasualties - "Iraq Coalition Casualties: Hostile - NonHostile Deaths".
- iCasualties - "U.S. Wounded By Week".
- iCasualties - "Iraq Coalition Casualties: Contractor Deaths". Incomplete list.
- "Contractor deaths add up in Iraq". By Michelle Roberts. Deseret Morning News. Feb. 24, 2007. "often highly dangerous duties almost identical to those performed by many U.S. troops."
- "Death Toll for Contractors Reaches New High in Iraq". By John M. Broder and James Risen. New York Times. May 19, 2007. "workers from more than three dozen other countries".
- "Private contractors outnumber U.S. troops in Iraq". By T. Christian Miller. Los Angeles Times. July 4, 2007. 182,000 contractors: "21,000 Americans, 43,000 foreign contractors and about 118,000 Iraqis".
- "In outsourced U.S. wars, contractor deaths top 1,000". By Bernd Debusmann. Reuters. July 3, 2007. 933 deaths in Iraq.
- "Contractors Back From Iraq Suffer Trauma From Battle". By James Risen. New York Times. July 4, 2007. "nearly 13,000 have been injured."
- Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). "IRAQ: Journalists in Danger".
- Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). "Media support workers killed since March 2003".
- "NCCI - NGO coordination committee in Iraq". Aid workers killed in Iraq since 2003.
- Many official U.S. tables at "Military Casualty Information". See latest injury, disease, and other-medical totals. See also: Latest fatality and wounded-in-action totals.
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