Abstract: This article reviews the first official presentation of the number of Yugoslav victims of the World War II. It also shows the way the number changed over the time to reach the official number of 1,706,000 victims. It summarizes the activities undertaken for the purpose of establishing the number of victims of war carried out by the State Commission for War Damage (during 1945 and 1946), the State Commission for Determining Crimes Committed by the Occupiers and Their Collaborators (from 1944 to 1948), the Association of Fighters of the People's Liberation War (during 1950 and 1951), as well as the Ministry of National Defence (during 1945).

Key words: victims of war, Yugoslavia, census of the victims of was, State Commission for War Damage; State Commission for Determining Crimes Committed by the Occupiers and Their Collaborators, Association of Fighters of the People's Liberation War.