Casualties as a Percentage of Population

This chart depicts the percentage of military casualties suffered by the Russian and Ukrainian armed forces, as a percentage of their total population.

The data spans 2022 through 2025, and is sourced from The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

I particularly like this visualization because it very simply encodes a handful of data points into two clear bars and small typography, without the need for an axis.

Furthermore, such small data points are often seen as insignificant, and would either not draw attention, or would give the wrong impression. In this case, I want the audience to stop and think about the actual percentage values, paired with the size of the bars. I am okay with the viewer questioning the design choice, because this means they have stopped to think in more depth about the significance of the casualties, and maybe compare them to what they expect, potentially rethinking just how insignificant these "low" percentages really are, given the mortally grave context of modern war.