Top 10 Most Evil People of All Time

Throughout history, there have been individuals who have committed unspeakable acts of cruelty, terror, and violence. These people have caused immeasurable harm to others and left a trail of destruction in their wake. From ruthless dictators to sadistic serial killers, the list of the most evil people of all time is a sobering reminder of the dark side of human nature.

As we look back on history, it is important to remember the atrocities that have been committed and the individuals responsible for them. By studying the lives and actions of these infamous figures, we can gain a better understanding of the factors that contribute to evil and hopefully prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.

The list of the most evil people of all time is a subjective one, with many different opinions on who should be included. Some may argue that individuals who committed mass genocide, such as Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin, should be at the top of the list. Others may point to serial killers like Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer, who inflicted unspeakable acts of violence on their victims.

Regardless of who makes the cut, it is clear that the actions of these individuals have had a profound impact on history and on the lives of those affected by their cruelty. In creating a list of the most evil people of all time, we pay tribute to the victims and honor their memory, while also striving to learn from the mistakes of the past.

The Top Ten

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler, as the dictator of Nazi Germany and mastermind behind the Holocaust, caused the genocide of approximately six million Jews and millions of others. His actions and policies initiated World War II, resulting in the death and suffering of tens of millions of people.

Adolf Hitler undeniably ranks among the top three most evil individuals in history due to his orchestration of the Holocaust, which systematically murdered six million Jews and millions more in concentration camps, embodying unparalleled genocide and human rights atrocities. As the architect of World War II, his aggressive expansionism and totalitarian regime led to the deaths of over 70 million people worldwide, plunging Europe into devastation and reshaping global politics through sheer brutality. Hitler's propagation of Nazi ideology, rooted in racial supremacy and eugenics, justified mass extermination, forced labor, and medical experiments on innocent civilians, revealing a profound disregard for human life. His charismatic manipulation of the masses enabled widespread complicity in these horrors, amplifying the scale of evil beyond individual actions. Furthermore, the long-lasting scars of his regime, including the division of nations and enduring anti-Semitism, continue to haunt humanity.
Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union's leader, implemented policies that led to the suffering and death of millions. Ruling with an iron fist, he used purges, forced labor, and mass executions to maintain power and eliminate opposition. The Great Famine and widespread repression under his rule contributed to his heinous reputation.

Joseph Stalin rivals or slightly surpasses Adolf Hitler in evil due to his tyrannical rule over the Soviet Union, where policies like collectivization caused the Holodomor famine that deliberately starved millions in Ukraine, amounting to genocide on a scale comparable to the Holocaust. His Great Purge in the 1930s led to the execution or imprisonment in Gulag labor camps of over a million people, including perceived enemies, intellectuals, and even loyal party members, fostering an atmosphere of terror and paranoia that outlasted Hitler's regime in duration.
Stalin's expansionist ambitions contributed to World War II's Eastern Front horrors and post-war Iron Curtain oppression, with total death estimates from his era ranging from 20 to 60 million, often through systematic starvation, forced labor, and mass executions that betrayed his own citizens. The cult of personality he built suppressed truth and dissent for decades, embedding fear into Soviet society and influencing authoritarian regimes worldwide. Furthermore, his alliance with Hitler before betraying it highlighted a pragmatic ruthlessness that amplified global suffering.
Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden, the founder and leader of al-Qaeda, orchestrated the September 11th attacks on the United States, which killed nearly 3,000 people. He was responsible for numerous other acts of terrorism and violence, aiming to spread fear and instability throughout the world.

While I completely agree that Adolf Hitler was a very evil man, he had a multitude of disorders that influenced his thinking. He really couldn't help being born the way he was. If he weren't, he could have been one of the kindest and most positively influential people in all of history.
I voted for Osama because he had no mental disorders. He actually wanted to destroy all of the world because of his religion.
Instead of getting into too much detail about my views on the world, I'm going to end on the statement that Osama bin Laden was, in his time, the most evil man since Adolf Hitler. If you disagree, feel free to add whatever comments you wish above, because in all honesty, you are entitled to your opinions, as am I. Thank you for letting me share my thoughts on your website.
Vlad the Impaler

Vlad the Impaler, also known as Vlad Dracula, was a brutal ruler of Wallachia known for his sadistic torture methods, including impalement. His reign was characterized by extreme cruelty, and he is said to have killed tens of thousands of people.

This guy has to be the worst human of all time. He's so evil that I question whether we can even call him human. What is he? Vlad Dracula, what kind of being is this?
He derives enjoyment from the suffering of women, children, babies, animals, sick people, poor people, and innocent individuals, all of whom get impaled, burned alive, and so on. This is pure evil.
He's so evil that he can't even be classified as human. With Hitler, you could say he's the worst human of all time, but with Vlad? What is he? He can't be called human. He's worse than the worst. What is this "thing"?

I think this guy is easily worse than Hitler and Stalin. If he had the same power as them, he probably would've killed as many people as they did, or even more, and in a far more painful manner than gas chambers or gulags. He used wooden stakes inserted through the rectum and exiting through the mouth. He did this not only to adults but also to children and animals. If you have a pet like a dog or a cat, consider that he wouldn't hesitate to do the same to them.
In my opinion, Hitler and Stalin don't even compare to the level of evil this man embodied. He drank the blood of his victims as they were dying slow and painful deaths. He even roasted children and forced their parents to eat them. Dracula, the infamous character, is inspired by this individual. This man is not a man. He's a devil. He's like the spiritual son of Satan. I'd go so far as to say that even ghosts and demons would be scared of him simply because of how evil he is.
Mao Zedong

Mao Zedong, the founding father of the People's Republic of China, implemented policies that led to the suffering and death of millions. The Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution resulted in widespread famine, social unrest, and the persecution of countless innocent people.

Mao Zedong edges out Adolf Hitler as slightly worse in the top three most evil figures in history due to the staggering death toll from his policies, estimated at 40 to 80 million Chinese citizens during the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, surpassing even the Holocaust and World War II casualties in sheer scale of human suffering. His forced collectivization and industrialization during the Great Leap Forward triggered the deadliest famine in human history, where millions starved while Mao exported grain to maintain appearances, demonstrating a callous indifference to his own people's lives.
The Cultural Revolution unleashed widespread purges, torture, and ideological terror, destroying families, culture, and intellectual life through Red Guard mobs, all to consolidate his absolute power. Mao's cult of personality manipulated an entire nation into fanaticism, enabling atrocities like public executions and forced labor camps that echoed but exceeded Nazi horrors in duration and domestic betrayal.
Pol Pot

Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, orchestrated a genocidal campaign that resulted in the death of approximately two million people, or one quarter of the country's population. His radical policies led to forced labor, starvation, and mass executions.

This is the man responsible for one of the most horrifying genocides in human history. He had no remorse or empathy for the people of Cambodia, his own people.
He commanded an entire army of soldiers to enforce his tyrannical laws and almost managed to turn Cambodia back to the Stone Age. He killed over 2 million people through brutal working conditions, mass executions, and torture.
This man is definitely worse than Hitler and deserves to be in the Top 3 on this list.

If we're basing this on the highest percentage of the country's population killed, then Pol Pot is the worst. He killed 25% of the population in Cambodia. Not only that, but he also destroyed 95% of the Buddhist temples in Cambodia. While I personally think Stalin, Hitler, and Mao (in that order) are worse, Pol Pot is also in that tier, and they're all very close. You could realistically put them in any order. Pol Pot is, for lack of a better term, one of the most "underrated" monsters of all time.
Heinrich Himmler

Heinrich Himmler, a leading member of the Nazi Party and chief architect of the Holocaust, oversaw the concentration and extermination camps where millions of Jews and others were systematically murdered. His actions and ideology make him one of the most sinister figures in history.

Hitler's leading Holocaust architect who was nothing more than an evil racist that supported Hitler in almost everything he did!

The most evil man in history was not Adolf Hitler, who orchestrated the 15 million deaths carried out by Nazi Germany. It was Heinrich Himmler. He was the head of the SS and the Gestapo (Nazi Secret Police). He orchestrated the deaths of 6 million Jews, millions of Christians, Slavs, Russians, Poles, Africans, Communists, disabled people, and other "undesirables."

The mastermind behind the Holocaust.
Maybe he doesn't deserve to be the most evil of all time, but I voted for him because he definitely deserves to be higher than George Bush and Osama bin Laden. And of course, Justin Bieber, who was put there by dumb trolls.
Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan, the founder and first Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, led a series of brutal military campaigns that resulted in the conquest of vast territories and the death of millions of people. His armies were known for their ruthless tactics, including the wholesale slaughter of entire cities.

Genghis Khan killed roughly 40 million people, which is nearly as much as Stalin and Hitler combined. Don't forget, this was when the world's population was much smaller. How many people would he have killed if the world's population were roughly the same size as it is today?
The thought makes me shudder. I honestly don't understand how he makes it onto all these "great leaders" lists. All I see when I look at him is a ruthless, evil mass murderer.
He slaughtered tens of millions of innocents simply because he couldn't be bothered to govern them. He killed children and even babies, used gruesome torture methods (such as boiling people alive and pouring molten metal on them), and had all his grave diggers killed just to keep his burial place a secret. How is he ranked #8? He should be in the top 3. He was brutal, truly evil, and controlled a massive empire - exactly how you would describe a dark lord.
Kim Jong-il

Kim Jong-il, the former leader of North Korea, ruled with an iron fist and fostered a cult of personality around himself. His repressive regime was marked by economic mismanagement, leading to widespread famine, and numerous human rights abuses, including political imprisonment, torture, and repression.

Way to go. A bastard who enslaves his own "paradise" he calls North Korea, where prisons are labor camps and there is no internet access whatsoever. He has people executed or punished harshly for simple things that shouldn't even be illegal. And he bans pants for women? Seriously?
Christians, prisoners of war, criminals, or people who simply want to escape from North Korea are all placed in labor camps. There, they are forced to work more than 10 hours on farms. They suffer merciless tortures, beatings, and are murdered by guards randomly.
Kim Jong-il has the nerve to just sit on his pile of money and laugh it off in his palace. He kidnaps people, motivated by his own personal interests, and he has the entire North Korea think he is a "God." Both he and his father are tyrants. And what the hell is Justin Bieber even doing on this list?
Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein, the former president of Iraq, was notorious for his brutal rule, marked by the use of chemical weapons against the Kurds, the suppression of political dissent, and widespread human rights abuses. His invasion of Kuwait in 1990 led to the Gulf War and further regional instability.

Saddam is the worst human being in the world. I can't even call him human. This man took all the young boys from families with long origins from Iran and killed them all. You can't even find where their bodies are.
He destroyed Iraq. If it weren't for his ignorance, Iraq wouldn't have become the way it is right now. And a special thanks to the United States government, who colluded with him to make Iraq a place where you can only confront fear of death.
The people of Iraq have lost all their young children. They haven't seen happiness after all the things he did. There are people who actually love him because he did good things for his people, not for the entire country. He took all the young people who didn't even know what was going on and cut their heads off in the streets. He is evil!

The Newcomers

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Ian Huntley

Another notorious criminal who was recently killed in prison. May he burn in Hell!
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Jesse Van Rootselaar

She killed her own mother and killed 6 students at the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia.

He killed 9 people at Tumbler Ridge, Canada.

The Contenders

Ivan IV of Russia

Ivan IV of Russia, also known as Ivan the Terrible, was a ruthless and paranoid ruler. His reign saw the expansion of the Russian state but was also marked by cruelty, including the violent repression of political opponents, mass executions, and the devastating Livonian War.

I hate how everyone goes on about Hitler and thinks he's the most evil man in history just because he started World War 2. But he thought he was doing a good thing. He's still very evil, but Ivan the Terrible is 100 times worse.
He tortured and killed men, women, and children by removing their ribs with red-hot pokers, disemboweling, boiling, frying, skinning, beheading, hanging, and strangling them. He also buried people alive and killed hundreds of thousands of people.
He beat his pregnant daughter-in-law, causing a miscarriage. When his son heard of this, he confronted him, but Ivan killed him.

His kill count was low, but the way he killed everyone was brutal. He stabbed, slaughtered, and beheaded people.
He was a very bad man in history. Stop voting for Justin Bieber!
Kim Jong-un

Kim Jong-un, the current leader of North Korea, maintains an oppressive regime that commits widespread human rights abuses, including forced labor camps, public executions, and severe restrictions on personal freedom. His pursuit of nuclear weapons and aggressive rhetoric have heightened global tensions.

The world's biggest spoiled brat is evil, especially when it comes to nukes. Mostly, he's selfish. Here are some bans in North Korea:
1. Jeans. Yes, jeans are a crime in North Korea, as are earrings. According to Kim Jong-un, these items resemble American culture, which is one of North Korea's worst enemies.
2. No jokes allowed. A while ago, Kim Jong-un banned the use of sarcasm. So I guess he'd be very happy if he saw me using sarcasm right now. Then again, I don't think he could if he was on a different computer than his own because,
3. The internet in North Korea is essentially a giant propaganda site. Nothing more. Only Kim Jong-un gets access to the real internet.
4. Music. You can't listen to artists like Ariana Grande or Taylor Swift unless their songs praise the great Kim Jong-un. Again, I'm being sarcastic.
There are also other things banned, such as pornography. So, you see, North Korea is very poor because of Kim Jong-un and all the other Kim Jongs.
Idi Amin

Idi Amin, the former dictator of Uganda, was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 300,000 people during his eight-year rule. His regime was characterized by human rights abuses, ethnic persecution, forced disappearances, and widespread corruption.

The Butcher of Uganda is a known cannibal. He kept his victims' bodies in his fridge so he could laugh at them, executed his enemies on live TV, and dumped some of his victims into the Nile River. He ultimately killed over 500,000 people.
This guy was the worst Ugandan leader, and arguably the worst African leader in history.

Idi Amin didn't just store people's bodies and laugh at them. He tortured and killed anyone who opposed him. If his intelligence agency got a whiff of rebellion from you, they shot you and left you there.
He also buried people in mass graves after quartering them.
George W. Bush

George W. Bush's presidency is often criticized for the controversial invasion of Iraq in 2003, which was based on faulty intelligence and led to a prolonged conflict, the loss of thousands of lives, and regional instability. His administration's policies, such as the use of torture, are also viewed as morally reprehensible.

He's probably the most evil, in my opinion, because of his bad decisions as president that screwed up the country and even started a war. For all the people who died in the wars that followed his rash actions, American or otherwise, I stand by you.
I also think it was extremely disgusting to put Justin Bieber on the top evil people list. I could see putting him on the worst musicians of all time, but evil? Seriously? Whoever posted that needs to get themselves checked out, because putting a teenage pop star next to Hitler is inexplicable.

His masters, the Rothschilds, Rockefellers, BlackRock, and Vanguard, are more evil, I believe, worse than Hitler. But we don't know them. He could have not listened to them. He would be a hero if he didn't.
Instead, he invaded Iraq, claiming they helped the terrorists orchestrate 9/11. We do not know that. He also said they have weapons of mass destruction. They didn't. Many Iraqi POWs were tortured. I hope he goes on trial.
Leopold II of Belgium

Leopold II of Belgium, during his rule over the Congo Free State, was responsible for the exploitation, forced labor, and brutal treatment of the Congolese people. His policies led to the death of millions and the mutilation of countless others. Leopold's actions in Congo remain a dark chapter in colonial history.

Before Hitler, King "Coverup" slaughtered ten to twenty million people in his personally owned Free State of Congo. Why? To speed up the production of natural rubber, which became a booming market with the advent of the bicycle and automobile.
It's also noteworthy that he rewarded his enforcers in a peculiar fashion - paying out bonuses for dirty deeds, evidenced by body parts.
His brand of mayhem served as the inspiration for the methods employed in the Rwandan massacre.

Leopold II has to be one of the most horrible human beings of the 19th century. He turned the Congo into his own private colony, where his army carried out gruesome atrocities. It is believed that 10 million Congolese died under his rule.
Why? In the name of resources. One could argue that he was the first to commit genocide on an industrial scale. His ruthless colonization of the Congo also kick-started the Scramble for Africa.
Josef Mengele

Josef Mengele, a Nazi physician and SS officer, conducted horrifying experiments on prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust. His cruel and inhumane medical research resulted in the death and suffering of countless innocent people.

A complete monster who conducted horrible experiments on the prisoners of Auschwitz. He would do things like sewing twins together in an attempt to create conjoined twins and injecting chemicals into twins' eyes to see if they would change color. One of his favorite experiments involved injecting one twin with lethal chemicals or a deadly disease, killing them, before killing the second twin to compare their corpses. He also killed people with heterochromatic eyes to remove them and send them to Berlin for study.
Have you heard of The Human Centipede? The plot of that sick, twisted movie was inspired by the experiments the Nazis performed on their prisoners, and the villain in the movie was based on Mengele himself.
I can't express how much I hate this guy's guts. He should at least be in the top twenty.
Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy, led his country into World War II on the side of Nazi Germany. His policies resulted in widespread suffering, economic decline, and thousands of deaths. He was also responsible for the invasion of Ethiopia and the persecution of Jews and other minorities.

He was the leader of Italy during WWII. He harbored racist views against black people and was an ally of Hitler. Additionally, he was a coward, as he couldn't fight a single battle without help from Hitler.

He was a Fascist dictator who couldn't invade a country without the assistance of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

He was evil! He held beliefs similar to Hitler's and continually committed mass genocide against black people.
Donald Trump

Donald Trump's presidency was marked by divisive rhetoric, controversial policies, and allegations of corruption. He has been criticized for his administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which some argue led to unnecessary deaths and suffering, and for his role in the events surrounding the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.

I firmly believe that by the time he passes away, he will be a candidate for the number one position. He's not done yet making every citizen's life as difficult as possible. He doesn't realize that he has irrevocably destroyed himself and the delicate balance between man and nature, which will destroy our fragile food chain and open the door to infectious disease that will ultimately kill all of us.

Just look at his Twitter from back in 2014-15 for proof of this. I would quote some here, but I don't think the website's censorship would appreciate that.
Charles Manson

Charles Manson, the leader of the Manson Family cult, orchestrated a series of gruesome murders, including the killing of actress Sharon Tate and her unborn child. His manipulation of his followers and his role in these brutal crimes have made him an infamous figure in American history.

I would not go within 20 feet of this person. He was evil in that he got other people to do his deeds for him, and he acted like it didn't even matter.

I forgot how many people he murdered with his cult. He killed Sharon Tate, who was, I believe, seven months pregnant. Then his goons painted Pig on the wall of her house with her own blood.
His goons also murdered a supermarket manager and his wife, painting WAR on the wall with their blood. Manson deserves the death penalty. He should rot in hell.

So this is what we're doing now? George Bush, Justin Bieber, and Donald Trump are considered drastically more 'evil' than Charles Manson? People seem to have read the question wrong. It's not about who you hate, but who is evil. Critical thinking appears to be lacking once again.
Nero

Nero was a Roman emperor who ruled from 54 to 68 CE and became known for policies that strained relations with the Senate. His reign included the Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE, after which he initiated large building projects and persecuted early Christians.

Nero set fire to Rome to make room for his new palace and then blamed the fire on the Christians, resulting in their killing.
When he got married to his second wife, he gave her his first wife's severed head in a basket as a wedding gift. He had his second wife kicked to death when they had an argument.
He claimed he was a god, and if you disagreed, you would end up in the sewers. Nero had a pet "glutton," an Egyptian slave, who would eat anything, even other humans.

Having Donald Trump and Justin Bieber ahead of Nero is laughable at best. Nero plotted the death of his mother, set fire to Rome, and played a lyre while it was burning. He murdered many Christians, including Paul and Simon Peter.
Many Christians referred to him as the Antichrist. A pop star and a businessman are ranked higher than an insane psychopath? And where's Caligula?
Attila the Hun

Attila the Hun, a fearsome warrior and leader of the Hunnic Empire, led a series of violent campaigns across Europe, causing widespread destruction and suffering. His brutal tactics, including the sack of numerous cities, have made him an infamous figure in history.

How is he not in the top ten? He killed people for no justifiable reason, catapulted infected bodies over city walls, destroyed several cities, and even instructed his men to collect the ears of corpses to confirm their deaths. Truly disturbing.

Like Genghis Khan, his existence made the world a worse place. We would have been hundreds of years ahead in progress if he had never existed.

He killed thousands of people and was one of the most feared individuals in the Roman Empire as well as the rest of the known world.
Fred Phelps

Fred Phelps, the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church, is known for his extreme anti-gay views and the promotion of hate speech. His group's protests, often held at military funerals, caused immense emotional distress to grieving families and have been widely condemned as morally reprehensible.

Maybe he wasn't quite the most evil person the world has ever seen, but he was similar to Hitler in some ways and was the complete opposite of what a Christian should be. He went against everything Jesus stood for: he hated Jews (so he basically hated Jesus since he was a Jew), he hated gays, and everyone who disagreed with him.
He even led a protest at Matthew Shepard's funeral saying that Matthew was in hell. It's people like this guy that almost make me ashamed to call myself a Christian.

I am personally a Christian, and it really hurts me to see people like Fred using Christianity to do all these evil things. He even hates Jews, and in the Bible, it mentions that Jews are God's chosen people.
So basically, hating Jews means that you're contradicting your own belief. Jesus was even a Jew. And Jesus said that the two most important laws are to love God (Fred doesn't love God, he loves hate) and to love others, which Fred is not really doing.
Kim Il-sung

Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea, established a repressive regime marked by widespread human rights abuses, including political imprisonment, torture, and repression. His policies led to economic hardship, famine, and the suffering of the North Korean people.

People try to give this guy the benefit of the doubt. From the very beginning, a guy with 40+ years of rule should raise red flags higher than the ones he raised in North Korea.
He established a fanatical personality cult, was the aggressor in the Korean War that got millions killed to fulfill his lust for reunification (which never even happened), and set up North Korea's labor camp system. He had hundreds or thousands of officials killed or sent to those camps to consolidate one-man rule around himself. The camps were all based on guilt by association, where people starved or were overworked to death.
He caused widespread food shortages during the 1950s and 60s through terrible collective farming policies. His Chollima Movement was a mini Great Leap Forward. That brought even more food and housing shortages, and the standard of living worsened.
As he neared the end of his life, he made the world even worse by handing over power to his son, who turned out to be even worse than him.
Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro governed Cuba for decades, serving as Prime Minister beginning in 1959 and later as President until 2008. He oversaw the establishment of a one party socialist state and implemented sweeping economic and political reforms.

He's a very controversial figure. When he died just a few months ago, I was actually happy. This is because he was one of the main causes of Cuba's problems and why it has become so totalitarian. However, people are entitled to their own opinions about him.

I have something to say about this man. It doesn't matter if he saved Cuba. He is still a bad person. I say this even as an Asian.

An evil monster that almost no one realizes exists.
Elizabeth Bathory

Elizabeth Bathory was a 16th and 17th century Hungarian noblewoman historically associated with accusations of torturing and killing servants. She was placed under house arrest in 1610 following an investigation ordered by King Matthias II.

She has been labelled the most prolific female serial killer in history and is remembered as the "Blood Countess," though the precise number of victims is debated. The stories of her sadistic serial murders and brutality are verified by the testimony of more than 300 witnesses and survivors, as well as physical evidence and the presence of horribly mutilated dead, dying, and imprisoned girls found at the time of her arrest.
She and four collaborators were accused of torturing and killing hundreds of girls, with one witness attributing to them over 650 victims.

She is known as the female version of Dracula. She had her husband build an entire tunnel underneath their castle that became her torture chambers. She and her husband would torture young girls in these chambers.
When her husband died, she became much worse. She would pour honey on the girls, letting bees eat them alive. She would throw them out until they froze. She would stick needles under their fingernails. She would bite literal chunks from these girls' faces and chests. She chopped off body parts. Rumors in town said that she was a witch and was sleeping with the devil.
Why isn't she higher on the list?