WW1
August 1914: British soldiers, newly arrived in France prepare to go to the lines Getty/Three Lions

When World War One was declared, street celebrations took place across the capital cities of Europe. Nobody envisioned trench warfare, and nobody could predict the casualties of one of the deadliest conflicts in history.

According to data from the History Learning Site, a soldier or civilian died every eight seconds during the war.

On the week commemorating the outbreak of the First World War, IBTimes UK looks at the figures of men mobilised, wounded and killed in the two opposing alliances: the Allies and the Central Powers.

Men mobilised

WW1 Russia
Russian officer and politician Aleksandr Kerensky addressing officers at the Russian Front in June 1917 Getty

Total number of Allies: 42 million

Total number of Central Powers: 22.8 million

Country with most men mobilised: Russia, 12 million. This was closely followed by Germany, with 11 million.

Great Britain and empire had 8.9 million men mobilised, Portugal had the least number of men, with 100,000.

Percentage of casualties in men mobilised

Romania WW1
Romanian troops on the move towards Predeal circa 1916 Getty

Total in Allies: 52%

Total in Central Powers: 57%

Interestingly, Italy had a higher percentage of casualties with 39%, higher than the 35.8% figure for Britain.

Romania had a high percentage of casualites, with 71% of the 750,000 men mobilised. Austria had the highest number overall, with 90% of the 7.8 million deployed.

Men killed

ww1 Japan
Japanese soldiers enter Shanghai during WW1, watched by Italian troops, circa 1916 Getty

Total number of fatalities in Allies: 5 million

Total number of fatalities in Central Powers: 3.3 million

Country with highest number of fatalities: Both Russia and Germany saw 1.7m men killed during WW1.

Japan, which deployed 800,000 men, had just 300 fatalities – just 0.037% men died in the conflict.

Great Britain and empire lost 908,000 men, while France lost 1.3 million.

Together, Germany and Austria lost 2.9 million men during the First World War.

Men wounded

WW1 British soldiers
British soldiers lined up in a narrow trench during WW1 on 28th October 1914 Getty

Total number of Allies: 13 million

Total number of Central Powers: 8.3 million

Russia had the most men wounded, 4.9 million, while Germany saw 4.2 million injured.

Prisoners of War and missing men

WW1 POWs
Soldiers of the Russian Second Army in Austria, following their defeat and capture by the Germans at the Battle of Tannenberg in East Prussia on 30th August 1914 Getty

Total number of Allies: 4 million

Of the Allies, Russia had the most POWs and missing, with 2.5 million – while Japan had just 3.

Total number of Central Powers: 3.6 million.

Meanwhile, Germany had 1.1 million and Romania had 27,000.

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