Civilian casualty ratio In armed conflict s , the civilian casualty ratio ( also civilian death ratio , civilian - combatant ratio , etc . ) is the ratio of civilian casualties to combatant casualties , or total casualties . The measurement can apply either to casualties inflicted by or to a particular belligerent , casualties inflicted in one aspect or arena of a conflict or to casualties in the conflict as a whole . Casualties usually refer to both dead and injured . In some calculations deaths resulting from famine and epidemics are included . Starting in the 1980s it was often claimed that 90 percent of the victims of modern wars were civilians . The claim was repeated on Wikipedia ' s Did You Know on 14 December 2010 . These claims , though widely believed , are not supported by detailed examination of the evidence , particularly that relating to wars ( such as those in former Yugoslavia and in Afghanistan ) that are central to the claims . Some of the citations can be traced back to a 1991 monograph from Uppsala University which includes refugees and internally displaced persons as casualties . Other authors cite Ruth Leger Sivard ' s 1991 monograph in which the author states “ In the decade of the 1980s , the proportion of civilian deaths jumped to 74 percent of the total and in 1990 it appears to have been close to 90 percent . ” The most comprehensive examination of civilian war deaths throughout history is by William Eckhardt , in which Eckhardt states : Mexican Revolution ( 1910 – 20 ) . Although it ' s estimated at least 1 million people died in the Mexican Revolution , most died from disease and hunger as an indirect result of the war . Combat deaths are generally agreed to have totaled about 250 , 000 . According to Eckhardt , these included 125 , 000 civilian deaths and 125 , 000 military deaths , creating a civilian - combatant death ratio of 1 : 1 among combat deaths . World War I . Some 9 to 10 million combatants on both sides are estimated to have died during World War I , along with an estimated 6 . 6 million civilians . The civilian casualty rate in World War I is therefore approximately 2 : 3 or 40 % . Most of the civilian fatalities were due to famine or Spanish flu rather than military action . The relatively low rate of civilian casualties in this war is due to the fact that the front lines on the main battlefront , the Western Front , were static for most of the war , so that civilians were able to avoid the combat zones . Casualties for the Western allies , consequently , were relatively slight . Germany , on the other hand , suffered 750 , 000 civilian dead during and after the war due to famine caused by the Allied blockade . Russia and Turkey suffered civilian casualties in the millions in the Russian Civil War and invasion of Anatolia and deportation of Ottomans from Balkan region respectively . World War II . According to most sources , World War II was the most lethal war in world history , with some 70 million killed in six years . The civilian to combatant fatality rate in World War II lies somewhere between 3 : 2 and 2 : 1 , or from 60 % to 67 % . The high rate of civilian casualties in this war was due in part to the increasing lethality of strategic weapons , used to target enemy industrial or population centres , and famines caused by economic disruption . A substantial number of civilians in this war were also deliberately killed by the Axis Powers as a result of racial policies ( for example , the Holocaust ) or ethnic cleansing campaigns . Korean War . The median total estimated Korean civilian deaths in the Korean War is 1 , 547 , 000 . The total estimated North Korean military deaths is 215 , 000 and the estimated Chinese military deaths is over 400 , 000 . In addition to this the Republic of Korea military deaths is around 138 , 000 dead and the military deaths for the United Nations side is around 40 , 000 . The estimated Korean war military dead is around 793 , 000 deaths . The civilian - combatant death ratio in the war is approximately 2 : 1 or more precisely 195 % . One source estimates that 20 % of the total population of North Korea perished in the war . Vietnam War . The Vietnamese government has estimated the number of Vietnamese civilians killed in the Vietnam War at two million , and the number of NVA and Viet Cong killed at 1 . 1 million — estimates which approximate those of a number of other sources . This would give a civilian - combatant fatality rate of approximately 2 : 1 , or more precisely 182 % . These figures do not include civilians killed in Cambodia and Laos . However , the lowest estimate of 411 , 000 civilians killed during the war ( including civilians killed in Cambodia and Laos ) would give a civilian - combatant fatality rate of approximately 1 : 3 , or more precisely 37 % . Using the lowest estimate of Vietnamese military deaths , 400 , 000 , the ratio is about 1 : 1 . 1982 Lebanon War . In 1981 , the PLO in Lebanon began shelling villages in northern Israel . In 1982 , Israel mounted its response . The war culminated in a seven - week long Israeli naval , air and artillery bombardment of Lebanon ' s capital , Beirut , where the PLO had retreated . The bombardment eventually came to an end with an internationally brokered settlement in which the PLO forces were given safe passage to evacuate the country . According to the International Red Cross , by the end of the first week of the war alone , some 10 , 000 people , including 2 , 000 combatants , had been killed , and 16 , 000 wounded — a civilian - combatant fatality rate of 5 : 1 . Lebanese government sources later estimated that by the end of the siege of Beirut , a total of about 18 , 000 had been killed , an estimated 85 % of whom were civilians . According to Richard A . Gabriel between 1 , 000 and 3 , 000 civilians were killed in the southern campaign . He states that an additional 4 , 000 to 5 , 000 civilians died from all actions of all sides during the siege of Beirut , and that some 2 , 000 Syrian soldiers were killed during the Lebanon campaign and a further 2 , 400 PLO guerillas were also killed . Of these , 1 , 000 PLO guerrillas were killed during the siege . According to Gabriel the ratio of civilian deaths to combatants during the siege was about 6 to 1 but this ratio includes civilian deaths from all actions of all sides . Chechen wars . During the First Chechen War , 4 , 000 separatist fighters and 40 , 000 civilians are estimated to have died , giving a civilian - combatant ratio of 10 : 1 . The numbers for the Second Chechen War are 3 , 000 fighters and 13 , 000 civilians , for a ratio of 43 : 10 . The combined ratio for both wars is 76 : 10 . Casualty numbers for the conflict are notoriously unreliable . The estimates of the civilian casualties during the First Chechen war range from 20 , 000 to 100 , 000 , with remaining numbers being similarly unreliable . The tactics employed by Russian forces in both wars were heavily criticized by human rights groups , which accused them of indiscriminate bombing and shelling of civilian areas and other crimes . NATO in Yugoslavia . In 1999 , NATO intervened in the Kosovo War with a bombing campaign against Yugoslav forces , who were alleged to be conducting a campaign of ethnic cleansing . The bombing lasted about 2½ months , until forcing the withdrawal of the Yugoslav army from Kosovo . Estimates for the number of casualties caused by the bombing vary widely depending on the source . NATO unofficially claimed a toll of 5 , 000 enemy combatants killed by the bombardment ; the Yugoslav government , on the other hand , gave a figure of 638 of its security forces killed in Kosovo . Estimates for the civilian toll are similarly disparate . Human Rights Watch counted approximately 500 civilians killed by the bombing ; the Yugoslav government estimated between 1 , 200 and 5 , 000 . If the NATO figures are to be believed , the bombings achieved a civilian to combatant kill ratio of about 1 : 10 , on the Yugoslav government ' s figures , conversely , the ratio would be between 4 : 1 and 10 : 1 . If the most conservative estimates from the sources cited above are used , the ratio was around 1 : 1 . According to military historian and Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren , for every Serbian soldier killed by NATO in 1999 ( the period in which Operation Allied Force took place ) , four civilians died , a civilian to combatant casualty ratio of 4 : 1 . Oren cites this figure as evidence that " even the most moral army can make mistakes , especially in dense urban warfare " . Coalition forces in the Iraq War . According to a 2010 assessment by John Sloboda of Iraq Body Count , a United Kingdom - based organization , American and Coalition forces had killed at least 28 , 736 combatants as well as 13 , 807 civilians in the Iraq War , indicating an essential civilian to combatant casualty ratio of 1 : 2 . It is unclear what percentage of civilians were killed in the initial invasion by the coalition . US drone strikes in Pakistan . The civilian casualty rate for U . S . drone strikes in Pakistan is notoriously difficult to quantify . The U . S . itself puts the number of civilians killed from drone strikes in the last two years at no more than 20 to 30 , a total that is far too low according to a spokesman for the NGO CIVIC . At the other extreme , Daniel L . Byman of the Brookings Institution suggests that drone strikes may kill " 10 or so civilians " for every militant killed , which would represent a civilian to combatant casualty ratio of 10 : 1 . Byman argues that civilian killings constitute a humanitarian tragedy and create dangerous political problems , including damage to the legitimacy of the Pakistani government and alienation of the Pakistani populace from America . An ongoing study by the New America Foundation finds non - militant casualty rates started high but have declined steeply over time , from about 60 % ( 3 out of 5 ) in 2004 - 2007 to less than 2 % ( 1 out of 50 ) in 2012 . The study puts the overall non - militant casualty rate since 2004 at 15 - 16 % , or a 1 : 5 ratio , out of a total of between 1 , 908 and 3 , 225 people killed in Pakistan by drone strikes since 2004 . Israeli – Palestinian conflict . The head of the Shin Bet reported to the Israeli Cabinet that of the 810 Palestinians killed in Gaza in 2006 and 2007 , 200 were civilians ( a ratio of approximately 1 : 3 ) . " Haaretz " assessed this to be an underestimation of civilian casualties . Using B ' tselem ' s figures they calculated that 816 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza during the two - year period , 360 of whom were civilians . 1 , 010 Israelis were killed between September 29 , 2000 and January 1 , 2005 . Of these , 773 were civilians killed in Palestinian attacks , resulting in a ratio of approximately 5 : 1 . Israeli airstrikes on militants in the Gaza Strip . The civilian casualty rate of the targeted assassinations was surveyed by " Haaretz " military journalist Amos Harel . In 2002 and 2003 , the ratio was 1 : 1 , meaning one civilian killed for every militant killed . Harel called this period " the dark days " because of the relatively high civilian death toll as compared to later years . He attributed this to an Israeli Air Force ( IAF ) practice of attacking militants even when they were located in densely populated areas . While there were always safety rules , argued Harel , these were " bent " at times in view of the target ' s importance . The civilian casualty ratio dropped steeply to 1 : 28 in late 2005 , meaning one civilian killed for every 28 militants killed . Harel credited this drop to the new IAF chief Eliezer Shkedi ' s policies . The ratio rose again in 2006 to 1 : 10 , a fact that Harel blamed on " several IAF mishaps " . However , in 2007 and 2008 the ratio dropped to an unprecedented level of less than 1 : 30 , or 2 – 3 percent of the total casualties being civilian . Figures showing an improvement from 1 : 1 in 2002 to 1 : 30 in 2008 were also cited by " Jerusalem Post " journalist Yaakov Katz . Professor Alan Dershowitz of Harvard Law School stated that the 2008 figure of 1 : 30 represents the lowest civilian to combatant casualty ratio in history in the setting of combating terrorism . Dershowitz criticized the international media and human rights organizations for not taking sufficient note of it . He also argued that even this figure may be misleading because not all civilians are innocent bystanders . In October 2009 , Dershowitz stated that the ratio for Israel ' s campaign of targeted assassinations stood at 1 civilian for every 28 terrorists . He argued that " this is the best ratio of any country in the world that is fighting asymmetrical warfare against terrorists who hide behind civilians . It is far better than the ratio achieved by Great Britain and the United States in Iraq or Afghanistan , where both nations employ targeted killings of terrorist leaders . " Testifying before the United Nations , Col . Richard Kemp , a British commander , stated that : Mr . President , based on my knowledge and experience , I can say this : During Operation Cast Lead , the Israeli Defence Forces did more to safeguard the rights of civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare . Israel did so while facing an enemy that deliberately positioned its military capability behind the human shield of the civilian population . . . The truth is that the IDF took extraordinary measures to give Gaza civilians notice of targeted areas , dropping over 2 million leaflets , and making over 100 , 000 phone calls . Many missions that could have taken out Hamas military capability were aborted to prevent civilian casualties . During the conflict , the IDF allowed huge amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza . To deliver aid virtually into your enemy ' s hands is , to the military tactician , normally quite unthinkable . But the IDF took on those risks . Despite all of this , of course innocent civilians were killed . War is chaos and full of mistakes . There have been mistakes by the British , American and other forces in Afghanistan and in Iraq , many of which can be put down to human error . But mistakes are not war crimes . . . More than anything , the civilian casualties were a consequence of Hamas way of fighting . Hamas deliberately tried to sacrifice their own civilians . Although the IDF has the lowest ratio in the world , they attribute civilian deaths to Hamas ' use of human shields , as well as other groups in Gaza that use human shields . The IDF blog lists various counter - terrorism methods used by the IDF to minimize civilian casualties and lower the civilian casualty ratio , and includes videos related to each method : Israel in the Gaza War . Several analysts have attempted to calculate the Israel Defense Force ' s civilian casualty ratio in Operation Cast Lead during the Gaza War . All have noted that the ratio differs significantly depending on which figures are used regarding the total number of casualties and their identity . The main sets of figures are those published by the IDF , essentially corroborated by Hamas , the opposing belligerent in the conflict , on the one hand ; and those published by B ' Tselem on the other hand . The final IDF report identified 709 militants out of a total of 1 , 161 Gaza fatalities , with another 162 whose status could not be confirmed ( 300 were ID ' d as civilians ) . Journalist Yaakov Katz states in " The Jerusalem Post " that the ratio is 1 : 3 according to the Israeli figures and 60 % civilians ( 3 : 2 ) according to B ' Tselem ' s figures . Katz attributes the IDF ' s low ratio in the Gaza War and in the year preceding it to Israel ' s investment in special weapons systems , including small smart bomb s that minimize collateral damage , and to an upscaled Israeli effort to warn civilians to flee areas and to divert missiles at the last moment if civilians entered a planned strike zone . Katz notes that over 81 percent of the 5 , 000 missiles the IDF dropped in the Gaza Strip during the operation were smart bombs , a percentage which he states is unprecedented in modern warfare . Journalist and commentator Evelyn Gordon writes in " Commentary " that the civilian casualty ratio in Operation Cast Lead was 39 percent ( 2 : 3 ) , using however only the preliminary Israeli estimates , but that 56 or 74 percent were civilians according to B ' Tselem ' s figures , depending on whether 248 Hamas policemen are considered combatants or civilians ; and 65 or 83 percent according to the figures of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights . Gordon notes that all of these ratios , even if the worse were correct , are lower than the normal civilian - to - combatant wartime fatality ratio in wars elsewhere , as given by the Red Cross , and states that the comparison shows that the IDF was unusually successful at minimizing civilian casualty rates . She concludes by charging that terrorists fight from among civilians because they know that the inevitable civilian casualties will result in opprobrium for their victims who dare to fight back , and that this norm will not change as long as this modus operandi remains profitable . Colonel Richard Kemp , former Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan , spoke in 2011 about Israeli operations in the Gaza War . He said that a study published by the United Nations showed " that the ratio of civilian to combatant deaths in Gaza was by far the lowest in any asymmetric conflict in the history of warfare . " He stated that this ratio was less than 1 : 1 , and compared it favorably to the estimated ratios in NATO operations in Afghanistan ( 3 : 1 ) , western campaigns in Iraq and Kosovo ( believed to be 4 : 1 ) , and the conflicts in Chechnya and Serbia ( much higher than 4 : 1 , according to anecdotal evidence ) . Kemp argued that the low ratio was achieved through unprecedented measures by the IDF to minimize civilian casualties , which included providing warnings to the population via telephone calls , radio broadcasts and leaflets , as well as granting pilots the discretion to abort a strike if they perceived too great a risk of civilian casualties . He also stated that the civilian casualties that did occur could be seen in light of Hamas ' tactical use of Gazan civilians " as human shields , to hide behind , to stand between Israeli forces and their own fighters " and strategic use of them for exploitation of their deaths in the media . The UN estimate that there has been an average three - to - one ratio of civilian to combatant deaths in such conflicts worldwide . Three civilians for every combatant killed . That is the estimated ratio in Afghanistan : three to one . In Iraq , and in Kosovo , it was worse : the ratio is believed to be four - to - one . Anecdotal evidence suggests the ratios were very much higher in Chechnya and Serbia . In Gaza , it was less than one - to - one . ”