WWII VETERANS STATISTICS:

The passing of the Greatest Generation

Every 90 seconds a memory of World War II – its sights and sounds, its terrors and triumphs – disappears. Yielding to the inalterable process of aging, the men and women who fought and won the great conflict are now in their 80s and 90s. They are dying quickly – at the rate of 740 a day, according to recent U.S. Veterans Administration figures.

Honoring the 20th-century veterans’ sacrifice before they pass from the scene, is at the forefront of everything we do at The National World War II Museum – from our exhibits, to oral histories, to the Museum’s $300 million expansion, a lasting tribute to the Greatest Generation.

“There’s no time to lose,” said Dr. Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller, President and CEO of the Museum. “We want to be able to finish and dedicate our expansion while we still have members of the Greatest Generation to thank for their sacrifice and service to the nation and to show the world what they mean to the principle of freedom.”

The graph below uses statistics from the Veterans Administration to illustrate the urgency of our mission. At the end of the war, the nation was the proud home to nearly 16 million veterans. Today, that number stands at just more than two million. By 2036, it is estimated there will be no living veterans of World War II left to recount their experiences.

Download the full report.