Population Sizes & Casualty Counts

Demographic indicators from the text of The Book of Mormon.

• Geography: land northward area around hill Ramah/Cumorah; Chronology: ca. 300 BC; Event or context: Extinction of the Jaredite nation in civil war; Metric: 2 million Jaredites killed in battle or through collateral carnage Ether 15:2.
• Geography: land of Shilom near the city of Nephi; Chronology: 13th year of the reign of king Zeniff (ca. 187 BC); Event or context: Lamanite invasion on the south of the land of Shilom; Metrics: 3,043 Lamanite soldiers killed in action Mosiah 9:18; 279 Nephite soliders killed in action Mosiah 9:19.
• Geography: land of Shilom near the city of Nephi; Chronology: latter part of king Zeniff's reign (ca. 165 BC); Event or context: Lamanite invasion on the north of the land of Shilom; Metrics: So many Lamanite warriors killed in action that the Nephites did not number them. Mosiah 10:20.
• Geography: Lands of Nephi and Shilom; Chronology: Reign of King Noah (ca. 145 B.C.); Event or context: Alma₁'s converts who followed him into the wilderness; Metric: About 450 souls Mosiah 18:35.
• Geography: lesser land of Zarahemla and surrounding lands; Chronology: Reign of King Benjamin (ca. 130 BC); Event or context: Benjamin led his military forces in defeating a Lamanite invasion; Metric: many thousands of Lamanite soldiers killed Words of Mormon 1:14. We know from textual analysis that "many" in Nephite parlance meant more than 3. See the blog article "How Many were Many and Few?"
• Geography: Hill Amnihu and valley of Gideon, east of river Sidon hear the local land of Zarahemla; Chronology: 5th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 87 BC); Event or context: Nephite - Amlicite war; Metric: 12,532 Amlicite soldiers killed in action; 6,562 Nephite soldiers killed in action Alma 2:19.
• Geography: Local land of Zarahemla, west of river Sidon; Chronology: 5th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 87 BC); Event or context: Nephite - Amlicite war: Metric: The combined Lamanite - Amlicite army was so large that the Nephites could not number them Alma 2:35.
• Geography: Local land of Zarahemla; Chronology: 5th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 87 BC); Event or context: Aftermath of Nephite - Amlicite war; Metric: war dead not counted because the number was so large Alma 3:1.
• Geography: Local land of Zarahemla, land of Gideon, land of Minon; Chronology: 5th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 87 BC); Event or context: Mormon's annual summary of war dead from both the Nephite - Amlicite war and the subsequent Lamanite invasion in the land of Minon; Metric: tens of thousands of war dead Alma 3:26.
• Geography: local land of Zarahemla west of the river Sidon; Chronology: 7th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 85 BC); Event or context: church growth under Alma₂; Metric: 3,500 convert baptisms in one year Alma 4:5.
• Geography: east wilderness area between the narrow strip of wilderness on the south and the land of Jershon on the north; Chronology: 15th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 76 BC); Event or context: invading Lamanites followed the people of Ammon (Anti-Nephi-Lehies) from the greater land of Nephi into the greater land of Zarahemla, provoking the largest battle to date; Metric: tens of thousands of Lamanites killed in action or scattered, tremendous slaughter among the Nephites Alma 28:2.
• Geography: city of Noah; Chronology: 19th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 72 BC); Event or context: rout of Lamanite forces sent by Amalickiah; Metric: more than 1,000 Lamanites killed in action, about 50 Nephites wounded, many seriously Alma 49:23-24. Note: This was the first time the Lamanites had fought against one of Captain Moroni's fortified cities.
• Geography: greater land of Zarahemla, Chronology: 25th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 67 BC); Event or context: Captain Moroni's suppression of the kingmen insurrection. Metric: 4,000 kingmen killed Alma 51:19.
• Geography: city of Judea in the southwestern corner of the greater land of Zarahemla; Chronology: 26th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 66 BC); Event or context: Antipus' desperate, last-ditch defense of Judea after earlier defeats; Metric: Nephite troop strength under Antipus prior to Helaman₁'s arrival was 6,000 (10,000 Alma 56:28 - 2,000 Alma 56:9 - 2,000 Alma 56:28). Note: When Antipus began his military defense of the southwestern front (presumably fighting for and surrendering Manti, Zeezrom, Cumeni, and finally Antiparah Alma 56:14), his fighting force numbered considerably more than 6,000. His army had been decimated in battle Alma 56:10.
• Geography: city of Judea near the west sea in the greater land of Zarahemla; Chronology: 27th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 65 BC); Event or context: Reinforcements send by the Nephite government to strengthen Antipus' army in its defense of Judea and the west coast; Metric: 2,000 fresh troops arrived in Judea from the local land of Zarahemla Alma 56:28. Note: This new contingent brought Antipus' total troop strength to 10,000, not counting wives and children. The number 10,000 must have been close to the Lamanite troop strength in Antiparah because it made them very anxious and forced them to go on the offensive Alma 56:29.
• Geography: cities of Judea and Antiparah in the southwestern corner of the greater land of Zarahemla; Chronology: 29th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 63 BC); Event or context: Defense of Judea and Antiparah under Helaman₁; Metric: 6,060 fresh troops arrived in Judea and Antiparah from the local land of Zarahemla and environs Alma 57:6. Note: With the new men, Helaman₁ now commanded a force of 16,000 less the casualties suffered in the battle north Alma 56:36 of Judea - Antiparah where Antipus was killed Alma 56:51 and the men who never returned from guarding Lamanite prisoners of war to Zarahemla Alma 56:57. Helaman₁ considered this a strong army Alma 57:6 which implies parity with if not superiority over the opposing Lamanite forces garrisoned in Cumeni. Helaman₁ even used the phrase "enormity of our numbers" Alma 57:13 to describe this force of somewhat fewer than 16,000.
• Geography: city of Cumeni; Chronology: 29th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 63 B.C.); Event or context: Restive Lamanite prisoners of war killed by Nephite guards; Metric: More than 2,000 Lamanite fighters killed while in Nephite custody Alma 57:14.
• Geography: city of Cumeni between the west sea and the land of Manti; Chronology: 29th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 63 BC); Event or context: Defense of Cumeni by the Nephite army under Helaman₁, son of Alma₂; Metric: 1,000 Nephite soldiers killed in action Alma 57:26.
• Geography: city of Manti in the land of Manti; Chronology: 29th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 63 BC); Event or context: Reinforcements sent by the Nephite government to strengthen Helaman₁'s army; Metric: 2,000 fresh troops arrived in Manti Alma 58:8. Note: 2,000 fighting men was a small number compared with the population and carrying capacity of the Nephite nation at the time Alma 58:36. Helaman₁ explicitly calls it a small force Alma 58:12.
• Geography: city of Manti; Chronology: 31st year of the reign of the judges (ca. 61 BC); Event or context: reinforcement troops sent under orders from Captain Moroni in the local land of Zarahemla to Helaman₁ who was defending the south western quarter of the greater land of Zarahemla; Metric: 6,000 fresh troops arrived in Manti Alma 62:12.
• Geography: north eastern quarter of the greater land of Zarahemla and extreme eastern portion of the land Bountiful - i.e. the cities of Bountiful, Mulek, Gid and Omner along the east coast; Chronology: 31st year of the reign of the judges (ca. 61 BC); Event or context: reinforcement troops sent under orders from Captain Moroni in the local land of Zarahemla to Lehi and Teancum who were defending the northern portion of the east coast; Metric: 6,000 fresh troops sent to strengthen Nephite forces Alma 62:13.
• Geography: area south of the city of Aaron and north of the land of Nephihah; Chronology: 31st year of the reign of the judges (ca. 61 BC) Event or context: members of a Lamanite expeditionary force captured by the Nephite army led by Captain Moroni and Parhoron; Metric: 4,000 Lamanites put under oath and sent to live among the people of Ammon in the land of Melek Alma 62:17.    
• Geography: land northward; Chronology: 37th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 56 BC); Event or context: mass migration from the greater land of Zarahemla into the land northward; Metric: 5,400 men plus their wives and children Alma 63:4.
• Geography: land southward under Nephite control; Chronology: 49th year of the reign of the judges (ca. 43 B.C.) Event or context: new converts who joined the church; Metric: Tens of thousands joined the church Helaman 3:26.
• Geography: local land of Zarahemla and environs; Chronology: 30 B.C.; Event or context: Preaching of Nephi and Lehi, sons of Helaman, among the Lamanites in the local land of Zarahemla; Metric: 8,000 Lamanite converts were baptized Helaman 5:19.
• Geography: land southward; Chronology: 17 BC; Event or context: Drought-induced famine; Metric: Thousands died.
• Geography: local land of Zarahemla; Chronology: A.D. 322; Event or context: Nephite - Lamanite war that was the beginning of the end of the Nephite nation; Metric: Nephite army defending Zarahemla exceeded 30,000 men Mormon 1:11.
• Geography: land of Joshua on the west coast of the greater land of Zarahemla; Chronology: A.D. 330; Event or context: Lamanite invasion of Joshua; Metrics: Lamanite army under King Aaron numbered 44,000, Nephite army under Mormon numbered 42,000 Mormon 2:9. Note: Mormon had strategically gathered all the Nephites together in a single body to maximize their defensive capabilities Mormon 2:7.
• Geography: land of Shem; Chronology: A.D. 356; Event or context: Lamanite invasion repulsed by the Nephites under Mormon; Metrics: Lamanite army numbered 50,000, Nephite army numbered 30,000 Mormon 2:25.

Note: No society in history has been able to maintain a standing or expeditionary army numbering much more than 5-6 percent of their total population. So, given a troop strength number, multiply it by 15 - 20 and that is probably the minimum viable population supporting that fighting force.

Article last updated February 9, 2020.