• We can never know the origin of warfare for our species, but it is likely a very ancient practice, perhaps even predatinghomo sapiens.
• While nothing is known about most battles from before recorded history, you can be sure they were as terrifying and devastating as they are today.
• However, the scale of death from combat has “improved” exponentially over time as weapons have become more deadly.

War, sadly, seems to be one of our species’ favorite pastimes. Likely beginning as small tribal conflicts over territorial disputes, the practice has evolved in complexity and scale, culminating in the global wars seen in the last century. Today, war is actuallyon the decline globally, but it is an ever-present risk. With the advent of nuclear weapons, any future large-scale conflict might well be our species’ last.

But, have you ever wondered which weapon, or weapons, have taken the most life over all that time? Let’s take a look.

What makes a weapon “deadly?”

Before we get started, we should define what is meant here by ‘deadly’. For this list, we’ll try to list weapons by the amount of people killed using them over time. As you can imagine, precise figures cannot be given (as records and evidence are generally lacking), but we can make some good assumptions based on factors like how long a weapon has been in use, its frequency of use, and, of course, killing potential.

It is also important to remember that most fatalities in war are indirect. This includes diseases, starvation, and exposure of combatants and noncombatants alike. However, since such deaths cannot be directly linked to a particular weapon, we’ll try to restrict any figures to direct battle losses.

As far as can be ascertained (and take this with a very large mountain of salt), the total deaths from all wars are probably between150 million and 1 billion. To put that into perspective, the death toll from WW2 alone is thought to be around 60 million from all parties involved. At the time, that was around 3% of the total global population of 2 billion. Considering that it was one of the bloodiest periods in history, the lower estimate of 150 million for all deaths ever from war is probably very low. If we go by the list of allmajor wars on this Wikipedia list, the total (if we average the ranges provided) is around 570,000,000.

This seems like a reasonably realistic value, so we’ll run with that. The note on the page does explain that the figures given include both combat and non-combat deaths, but it is not impossible to disentangle them. So, for better or worse, we’ll use this figure. As for working out the very rough total deaths per weapon, we’ve made the following assumptions.

First of all, we’ve created three major “battle periods” (this is important due to the changing nature of weapons over time):

Ancient era (Pre-500 AD)

Total death toll: circa 58,000,000.

Main weapon types: Polearms (long pointy things like spears), stones (slings, etc.),bow and arrow, swords/daggers/axes.

Notes: We used an interesting analysis ofHomer’sThe Iliad, which has surprising data on combat from the ancient era. While a piece of fiction, it is probably not far from the truth for the types of injuries sustained during combat. We also couldn’t find useful data on clubs/mace-type weapons, so these are sadly omitted. Such weapons would probably rank pretty high on the list. We use the term polearm herein as a shorthand for weapons like spears, pikes, etc. While not technically correct, the term will also include poleaxes, billhooks, halberds, etc., from later periods.

Middle era (500 AD to 1700 AD)

Total death toll: circa 117,000,000

Main weapon types: Polearms, bow/crossbow and arrow/bolt, swords/daggers/axes, “maces”

Notes: We used a combination of some studies of battlefield injuries from battlefields at two battles of the period, theBattle of Lützen (1632 AD) and mass graves from theCrusades in Sidon, Lebanon.

Modern era (1700 AD – present day)

Total death toll circa 396,000,000

Main weapon types: Small arms (handguns, machine guns, etc), artillery, bombs, bayonets, chemicals and biologicals.

Notes: We used a combination of studies from the Napoleonic Battle of Aspern in 1809, published statistics from theNational WW1 Museum and Memorial, and a review of modern war injuries from 2021. Since we found data specifically “singling out” weapon types like bayonets for this time, we made them their own category. Technically, you could combine them with swords/daggers or even spears, as they serve the same basic purpose (stabbing/slashing at close quarters).

Using these studies, we calculated a rough percentage from the total deaths per period (where relevant), totted them up, and then ranked them. As “simple” as that. Of course, the following figures should not be taken as gospel and are a very “back of the envelope” estimation. It is also important to note that any investigations into old battles rely on records or remains, which could massively skew the results, as trauma is only “recorded” on bones. Evidence of fatal soft tissue damage has been lost forever.

All that considered, let’s see which weapons have caused the most human casualties through time.

1. Artillery appears to be the standout “winner”

Estimated kills: 196 million

Believed to have originated in ancient China, artillery, specifically gunpowder-fired cannons, spread to the Middle East and Europe around the 13th century. Evolving significantly over centuries, modern artillery became a decisive force in World War I, shaping battles with its long-range, incredibly destructive power. Today, it is still, by far, the most deadly weapon an army can field and, in full-scale battles, accounts for the lion’s share of fatalities.

2. Small arms come next

Estimated kills: 141 million

Believed to have first appeared in the late medieval period, early small arms like thearquebusand musket transformed warfare. With technological advancements, these firearms evolved into the rifles and pistols that dominate the battlefield today.

3. The polearm is surprisingly deadly

Estimated kills: 60 million

Possibly the oldest weapons ever invented, long pointy sticks have been used to hunt humans and animals for millennia. The mainstay of ancient battles, they would continue to be used well into the age of gunpowder. Late iterations like the halberd and pike would become very common in medieval Europe and were essential in countering cavalry. They fell out of favor roughly around the time of the Industrial Revolution and the adoption of bayonets.

4. Swords and daggers have taken many lives

Estimated kills: 53 million

Another of humanity’s oldest weapons, the origin of the sword can be traced back to the Bronze Age. Over millennia, its design varied considerably across cultures, from the Roman gladius to the Japanese katana, symbolizing martial skill and nobility. Largely ceremonial today, swords still hold a special place in the psyche of many cultures.

5. Maces were nasty weapons

Estimated kills: 37 million

Yet another of our species’ earliest weapons,club-like weapons (big heavy sticks and later maces), date back to prehistoric times. Probably initially developed for hunting, their utility to kill other humans was likely discovered early on. Evolving into the metal-headed mace used by many ancient civilizations, they eventually became symbols of authority in medieval Europe. With the rise of plate armor, this kind of blunt force trauma-inflicting weapon would excel in battle until it fell out of favor with the rise of gunpowder.

6. Bows and crossbows have proved deadly

Estimated kills: 19 million

Yet another of our oldest weapons, thebow and arrow has existed since prehistoric times. Probably invented initially for hunting, arrows shot from bows dominated ancient battlefields. As time passed, civilizations like the Mongols maximized their potential, leading to their domination of some battles. Torsion-based projectile weapons like these fell out of fashion with the rise of gunpowder but are still used today for sport and hunting.

7. Bombs have claimed many lives

Estimated kills: 9 million

Explosiveshave ancient roots, with the “bomb” (a container filled with explosive material) gaining prominence in medieval China. With the advent of aerial warfare and missiles in the 20th century, bombs became central to modern military strategy and have proved their worth for destructive potential.

8. Stones killed many, too

Estimated kills: 5 million

One of the earliestmakeshift weapons was the humble stone, whether thrown by hand or launched using a sling. Stones were foundational in early warfare and hunting, predating more sophisticated weaponry. They were replaced mainly by bows and arrows in antiquity.

9. Bayonets are very effective

Estimated kills: 396,000

Introduced in Europe in the early 17th century,bayonets allowed musketeers to defend against cavalry charges without switching weapons. This effectively replaced using long, pointy weapons like pikes and spears. Their role peaked in the trench warfare of World War I but they are still standard equipment for many modern soldiers. In truth, the death toll from short-bladed stabbing weapons, like bayonets and knives, is probably much higher, but data on such things is very hard to find for old battles.

10. Chemical weapons are banned for a reason

Estimated kills: 396,000

The roots ofchemical warfare lies in ancient times, but the large-scale use of lethal gases first appeared during World War I, leading to international bans of their use in war.

And that’s your lot for today.

“But what aboutnuclear weapons?” we hear you cry. These are certainly devastating, with around200,000 killed by the two nuclear weapons dropped on Japan in WW2. While this is a huge number of deaths, it pales in comparison to other weapons. Let’s hope that tally stays where it is for the rest of time.

Warfare has changed a lot over the years, yet the human suffering caused by conflict is, sadly, a constant, irrespective of the nature or sophistication of the thing that takes their lives. Whatever the reason they fought and died, where, and when, may they all rest in peace.

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