British Casualty Monitor: Tracking the war in Afghanistan

Duration of war: 8 years, 1 month
Troops in theatre: 9,000
UK military fatalities: 235
Casualty data analysed to: Oct 31st
UK military casualties in 2007: 1442
UK military casualties in 2008: 1857
UK military casualties in 2009: 2199*
Total UK casualties: not released by MOD

The graphs below are compiled from official Ministry of Defence data and aim to illustrate the current situation and recent trends in British casualties in Afghanistan. They are updated every month when data becomes available. We are fully aware of the limitations in the data released by the MOD, its potential to mislead and its incompleteness. Nevertheless, the official data does provide the best available measure of the cost of war to British forces and is useful for following trends in the conflict.

*The figures for British casualties in 2007-2009 are the sum of fatalities, field hospital admissions and medical evacuations up to the end of the analysis period.

NB To enlarge the graphs for easier reading click on the images. All Casualty Monitor graphics can also be accessed here.



The first chart provides a monthly breakdown of casualties officially recorded by the MOD as being due to direct action, i.e. fighting. The 3 month moving average indicates the trend in combat casualties. As information was only made available on a monthly basis by the MOD from April 2006, the figures are shown from this date onwards.


The second chart shows the figures for total casualties reported by the MOD. Due to the way the figures are presented in the MOD reports, it is impossible to be sure whether, and to what extent, double counting may be occurring. For example, soldiers admitted to field hospitals may also be classified as serious or very seriously injured, and could also, in principle, be counted in the aero-medical evacuation figures. However, from the publicly available data it is just not possible to know and we therefore present the sum of the different categories. As such, the figures represent the upper range of the official total casualty count. Nonetheless, the data illustrate that from since the beginning of 2006 until now, total casualties may now be approaching 6,000.

The third chart summarises the available data on fatalities and serious injuries since the war began in October 2001. A very low level of casualties is seen following the invasion until 2006, when the conflict and British involvement significantly escalates. The last column of the chart shows the casualties projected for the current year. This extrapolation is simply based on the average number of casualties suffered each week so far this year, multiplied by fifty-two.

The analysis and format used here is similar to the Iraq casualty monitoring page.