Estimated Casualties of the Syrian Civil War

May 2016 - The Syrian Civil War is an ongoing multi-sided armed conflict with international interventions taking place in Syria. The unrest began in the early spring of 2011 within the context of the Arab Spring protests as nationwide protests erupted against President Bashar al-Assad's government. Government forces responded with violent crackdowns. The mass protests gradually morphed into an armed rebellion after months of military sieges.

The estimated number of deaths in the conflict vary between 150,000 and 360,000 according to opposition activist groups, whereas the United Nations and Arab League Envoy to Syria reports an estimate of 400,000 fatalities as of April 23, 2016.

According to the Syrian Revolution Matryr Database, the Syrian opposition website, the total number of fatalities reached 149,007 by the end of February 2016. The leading cause of death is gunshot wound, which caused 36.4% of all fatalities. The most affected governorates are Rif Dimashq (Damascus Countryside) and Aleppo, where 63,421 persons were killed. During the period military intervention, Russian air bombings have claimed lives of 1,097 people, while NATO-led coalition air attacks killed 434 Syrians.