2013: War by the Numbers
A statistical look back at a violent year
50,000
The approximate number of people killed this year in the civil war in Syria.
6,000,000
Estimate of Syrian refugees displaced by the fighting, out of a population of 22 million.
500
Approximate number of Syrian government tanks destroyed by rebels in 2013.
59
Journalists killed in the line of duty worldwide in 2013.
22
Journalists killed in Syria this year.
57
The percentage of Pentagon officials who could locate Damascus on a map, according to one informal survey.
159
U.S. and coalition troops killed in Afghanistan, down 60 percent from 2012.
100
The number of Afghan soldiers killed in a single week of combat in early 2013.
80
The percent increase in Afghan battle deaths compared to 2012.
1.7 trillion
Estimated world military spending in 2013, in dollars.
40
American share of that spending, percent.
13,900
The approximate number of military aircraft America possessed in early 2013.
2,800
The approximate number of military aircraft Russia and China each possess.
29
The number of F-35 stealth fighters the Pentagon purchased this year at cost of more than $200 million apiece.
90
The number of F-35s the Pentagon had planned to purchase this year, as of 2008—at a planned cost of $100 million apiece.
28
The number of front-line, big-deck ships in the world that routinely operate fixed-wing aircraft—a.k.a., aircraft carriers.
19
The number of those ships owned by the United States.
1,084
Total number of operational satellites worldwide in late 2013.
461
Number of those satellites that are American.
29
Number of U.S. satellites launched by a single rocket on Nov. 20, a new record.
400
Approximate number of armed drones in the world in 2013.
360
Number of those armed drones that belong to the U.S.—Israel and the U.K. split the remainder.
28
Number of covert American drone strikes in Yemen in 2013.
187
Estimated number of alleged terrorists killed by drones in Yemen.
33
Estimate of civilians killed in these drone strikes.
1
Secret U.S. stealth drones discovered by the media in 2013.
2
Commercial vessels hijacked by Somali pirates in 2013, down from 47 in 2009.
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