World War I Fact Sheet

Facts and Stats about the Great War

The Lusitania Related Links World War I Primer World War I Timeline The Deadliest Battles in World War I Theaters of Battle

Imperial, territorial, and economic rivalries led to the "Great War" between the Central Powers and the Allies. About 10 million combatants were killed and 20 million wounded. Below are facts and stats about World War I.

Dates:

July 28, 1914 to Nov. 11, 1918. Fighting ended with the armistice that was signed on the "11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918. Treaty of Versailles signed on June 28, 1919. Read a timeline of key events in World War I.

Background and the Road to War

• Triple Alliance and Triple Entente
• Causes of World War I

Major Players

These are the countries that had a significant role in World War I. The date country entered the war is in parenthesis. See Casualties in World War I for the number of troops mobilized, wounded, killed, and missing.

Allies:

• Belgium (1914)
• Britain (1914)
• France (1914)
• Japan (1914)
• Montenegro (1914)
• Russia (1914)
• Serbia (1914)
• Italy (1915)
• Portugal (1916)
• Romania (1916)
• Greece (1917)
• U.S. (1917)

Central Powers:

• Austria-Hungary (1914)
• Germany (1914)
• Turkey (1914)
• Bulgaria (1915)

Major Theaters of War

World War I was fought on several fronts. The major theaters included: the Eastern Front, Western Front, Italian Front, Gallipoli Peninsula, and the Naval War. Find details about each front at Major Theaters of War.

Casualties

Allies:

• Total Number of Troops in Action: 42,188,810
• Total Wounded: 12,800,706
• Total Fatalities: 5,142,631
• Total Missing or Taken Prisoner: 4,121,090

Central Powers:

• Total Number of Troops in Action: 22,850,000
• Total Wounded: 8,388,448
• Total Fatalities: 3,386,200
• Total Missing or Taken Prisoner: 3,629,829

Deadliest Battle

Longest Battle

by Beth Rowen