America’s WWII veterans are almost gone: How many World War II soldiers are still alive today?

On a summer morning in 1944, an 18-year-old American soldier could have been standing on a beach in Normandy, stepping into one of history’s bloodiest battles. A few months later, another young sailor might have been crossing the Pacific toward islands most Americans had never heard of.

They were teenagers when they left home. They returned as a generation that helped reshape the world.

81 years later, their numbers have dwindled to a few tens of thousands. The voices that once carried memories of Pearl Harbor, D-Day, Iwo Jima and the liberation of Europe are now among the rarest living connections to the 20th century’s defining conflict.


So, how many American World War II veterans are still alive today?

According to statistics from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, only 45,418 Americans who served in World War II were alive at the end of 2025. That is a staggering decline from the 16.4 million Americans who served during World War II between 1941 and 1945. Today, less than half of one percent of that generation remains.

In the United Kingdom, as of 2025, it’s estimated that under 8,000 British WW2 veterans are still alive.

When the United States entered World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor, millions of ordinary Americans were transformed into soldiers, sailors, pilots and support personnel.

They fought across two vast theaters, Europe and the Pacific, in a war that claimed tens of millions of lives worldwide.

Many survivors returned home, built families and helped create the postwar economic boom. They became known as the Greatest Generation, a group remembered for sacrifice, resilience and duty. But the passage of time has made their firsthand memories increasingly fragile.

In 2015, nearly one million US World War II veterans were still alive. By 2020, that number had fallen to roughly 300,000. Today, only a small fraction remain.

Most surviving WWII veterans are in their late 90s, with many over 100. Organizations dedicated to preserving WWII history have warned that every passing veteran represents the loss of a firsthand account that can never be replaced.

When will America’s last WWII veteran pass away?

The US Department of Veterans Affairs projected, as cited by Forbes in 2021, that the last American WWII veteran is expected to pass away around 2043, though events such as the COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated that timeline.

America's final World War I veteran, Frank Buckles, died in 2011 at the age of 110 after serving as an Army ambulance and motorcycle driver in Europe.

What benefits do surviving WWII veterans receive?

Despite their dwindling numbers, surviving World War II veterans remain eligible for a wide range of benefits through the US Department of Veterans Affairs. These include VA health care, disability compensation, pensions, education and training assistance, home loan programs, life insurance, employment support, and burial benefits. Many veterans also qualify for long-term care services, including nursing home care and caregiver support as they age.

Veterans who were exposed to ionizing radiation during military service, including the so-called "Atomic Veterans" who served in Hiroshima, Nagasaki or participated in radiation-risk activities, may also be eligible for specialized health care, radiation registry exams and additional disability compensation for certain cancers and other service-related illnesses.

In some cases, surviving spouses and dependents may also qualify for survivor benefits.