Cost of WWII

[Mario]

Is there an estimation of total cost of WWII?

[Scott M. Kozel]

Post by Mario
Is there an estimation of total cost of WWII?

For the U.S., about one trillion dollars in 1945 dollars, from one book I read years ago.

[Rich Rostrom]

Post by Scott M. Kozel

Post by Mario
Is there an estimation of total cost of WWII?

For the U.S., about one trillion dollars in 1945
dollars, from one book I read years ago.

That seems rather too large.

_Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial
Times to 1970_ has a table of "Estimated Total Costs
of U.S. Wars"; for WW II, the total is $664B, of which
$288B is original costs, $86B is war loan interest,
and $290B is veterans' benefits.

However, that last figure seems to be an estimate of
the ultimate benefits amount; only $87B had been paid
out by 1970. The estimates were for another $203B in
future WW II benefits. (Also $29B in future WW I
benefits, $560M in future Spanish-American War
benefits, and $10M in future _Civil War_ benefits. The
Mexican War was all paid off, though.)


Incidentally, the table gives the ratio of veterans'
benefits to original war costs for each war:


WW II ... 100%
WW I .... 290%
SAW ... 1,505% (!)
ACW ..... 280% (Union only).

[Bill Shatzer]

Post by Mario
Is there an estimation of total cost of WWII?

'Cording to a study by the Congressional Research Service, US costs were
$296 billion in then current dollars and $4,104 billion in present day
dollars

https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS22926.pdf

Subject to the caveats in that document, which are considerable

[a425couple]

Post by Mario
Is there an estimation of total cost of WWII?

Well, this particular source (not the best, nor the worst),
http://warchronicle.com/numbers/WWII/deaths.htm
states there were 20 million military deaths, and
27 million civilian deaths for a total of 48,232,700
(that final total is about mid range of various estimates).

That is a huge amount of human capital lost, especially
considering the vast majority of military deaths were
of 16 to 28 year olds, people just entering the most
productive economic years of their lives.

[a425couple]

Post by a425couple

Post by Mario
Is there an estimation of total cost of WWII?

Well, this particular source (not the best, nor the worst),
http://warchronicle.com/numbers/WWII/deaths.htm
states there were 20 million military deaths, and 27 million civilian
deaths for a total of 48,232,700 That is a huge amount of human capital
lost, especially considering the vast majority of military deaths were of
16 to 28 year olds, people just entering the most productive economic
years of their lives.

And the current document at wiki shows is higher.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties
"World War II was the deadliest military conflict in history in absolute
terms of total dead.[1] Over 60 million people were killed, which was
about 3% of the 1940 world population (est. 2.3 billion).[2] The tables
below give a detailed country-by-country count of human losses. World
War II fatality statistics vary, with estimates of total dead ranging from
50 million to more than 80 million.[3] The higher figure of over 80 million
includes deaths from war-related disease and famine."

[a425couple]

Post by Mario
Is there an estimation of total cost of WWII?

Here is a cite that is quite informative:
https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS22926.pdf
Congressional Research Service
"Costs of Major U.S. Wars
Stephen Daggett
Specialist in Defense Policy and Budgets
June 29, 2010

--Figures are problematic--

(an attempt to cut & paste one part????)

Costs of Major U.S. Wars
Congressional Research Service

Years of War Spending Peak Year of War Spending
Total Military Cost of War in
Millions/Billions of Dollars War Cost %
GDP in Peak Year
of War


Total Defense %

GDP in Peak Year

of War

World War II
1941-1945
1945
Current Year $ 296 billion 35.8%
37.5%
Constant FY2011$ 4,104 billion "

37% of our total GDP is a lot!