The Human Cost of War
From start year (root) to end year (bloom). A wider arch means a longer conflict.
Annual casualty rate (Intensity). Higher flowers mean more deaths per year.
Total number of casualties.
This visualization is my homage to Poppy Field by Valentina D'Efilippo, a visualization made in 2014 to commemorate the centenary of World War I. It uses the poppy—a symbol of remembrance—to visualize the human cost of conflict. If you find my attempt to be powerful, it is owed entirely to that work.
This data on conflicts and casualties is sourced from various historical records, including the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) and other academic sources. Note that casualties are inherently estimated, and vary by source.
Dec 10, 2025