On Friday July 2, 2004, an analysis of the human cost of the war by the Institute for Policy Studies and Foreign Policy "In Focus" revealed that between the start of the war on March 19, 2003, and June 16, 2004:
- Between 9,436 and 11,317 Iraqi civilians lost their life and 40,000 were injured.
- A total of 952 occupation troops were killed, including 856 US militaries during the course of the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
- Six hundred and ninety three were killed after President Bush declared the end of major combat operations on May 1, 2003. Over 5,134 US troops have been wounded since the war began, including 4,593 since May 1, 2003.
- Thirty international media workers were also killed during this period, including 21 since Bush declared the end of combat operations. Eight of the dead worked for US companies.
- Between 50 and 90 civilian contractors and missionaries and 30 international journalists have been killed.
- The long-term cost of the Iraqi war to every American family has been estimated to $3,415.
- Until now the total cost of the war to the US is about $126bn.
- 80% of Iraqis have "no confidence" in US civilian authorities.

The author of the report Phyllis Bennis said: "…the war was based on lies, has failed to do what they claimed it would accomplish, and has cost way too much in lives, money, the environment and more." The study reveals a sharp rise in crime. Murder, rape, and kidnapping increased after March 2003. Violent deaths rose from an average of 14 per month in 2002 to 357 per month in 2003. "Living under occupation without the most basic security devastated the Iraqi population," the study pointed out.
- A poll by the US occupation authority in May 2004 found that 80% of Iraqis saying they had "no confidence" in either the US civilian authorities or in the occupation forces, and 55% would feel safer if US and other foreign troops left the country immediately.
- The study also questions the "transfer of sovereignty" to Iraq. It said the country would continue to be occupied by US and allied troops while political and economic independence would be severely limited.
- The interim government would not have the authority to reverse the nearly 100 orders by the former occupation authority head Paul Bremer that, among other things, allow for the privatisation of Iraq's state-owned enterprises and prohibit preferences for domestic firms in reconstruction.

When the US death toll in Iraq crossed 1,000 at the beginning of September 2004, most American people were shocked. However, that figure pales in comparison with the 30,000 Afghans and Iraqis estimated to have died in the War on Terror. Iraq Body Count, an independent website that keeps track of only media-reported civilian deaths, states that a minimum 11,798 Iraqi civilians have died in the war so far. Independent estimates of Iraqi military deaths puts their toll close to 5,000. The number of US military deaths in Afghanistan was 132. Once again, a study by an American academic estimated that at least 3,800 civilians died in Afghanistan and independent estimates suggest that military deaths could be close to 10,000. The total figure of 30,000 is more than the number of people killed in terrorist acts in the last 35 years - studies show 22,000 people have been killed in terrorist incidents since 1968. The cost of reconstruction and related aid has been estimated at $23 billion in Iraq and $30 billion in Afghanistan which seems much smaller than the $100 billion loss caused by the WTC attacks. But while the WTC losses translate to 0.91% of US GDP, it amounts to 59% of Iraq's GDP and 150% of Afghan

On September 16, 2004, it is believed that the Pentagon is concealing the real figure of soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Media channels are claiming that close to 17,000 evacuations for medical reasons do not appear in Defence Department reports. The Pentagon has officially announced 1,019 deaths and 7,246 soldiers injured during the war in and occupation of Iraq, but reports from the press and veterans of other conflicts believe that thousands of troops evacuated from combat lines have not been included on the lists of victims. The Pentagon has been accused of lying as to the real number of casualties, including those related to mental health problems suffered whilst on the frontline, especially more than 20 that resulted in suicide. The US press itself is reluctant to cover the subject, particularly concerning those ex-servicemen and women who have already returned to their home towns and cities in the United States.

Millions of dollars in US rebuilding funds have been wasted in Iraq, US auditors said in a report on January 31, 2007, which warns corruption in the country is rife. Billions of budgeted dollars meanwhile remain unspent by Iraq's government. The report comes as President Bush is urging Congress to approve $1.2bn (£600m) in further reconstruction aid.

President Bush will ask Congress for $99.7 billion for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars for rest of fiscal year 2007 and more than $145 billion for fiscal year 2008, a Bush administration official said Friday February 2, 2007. Bush estimated the costs for the Iraq war at $50 billion for fiscal year 2009. Bush will unveil those numbers when he presents his annual budget to Congress Monday.

Content, War in Iraq

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