WWII Veterans Number Roughly 31,000

The US Department of Veterans Affairs projected that approximately 31,000 American World War II veterans would remain alive in fiscal 2026. That represents fewer than 0.2 percent of the roughly 16.4 million Americans who served during the war. The VA model counted approximately 95,000 surviving veterans in fiscal 2023, and its figures imply a current decline of more than 14,000 per year, or about 40 per day. It projects fewer than 10,000 survivors by 2029 and fewer than 1,000 by 2034.

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