The world is experiencing a surge in violence not seen since the post-World War II era. 2024 marked a grim new record: the highest number of state-based armed conflicts in over seven decades.
A staggering 61 conflicts were recorded across 36 countries last year, according to PRIO’s Conflict Trends: A Global Overview report. “This is not just a spike – it’s a structural shift. The world today is far more violent, and far more fragmented, than it was a decade ago,” warned Siri Aas Rustad, Research Director at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and lead author of the report.
“Now is not the time for the United States – or any global power – to retreat from international engagement. Isolationism in the face of rising global violence would be a profound mistake with long-term human life consequences.”
The report is based on data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program. It shows that while the number of battle-related deaths in 2024 held steady at approximately 129,000 – matching the devastating toll of 2023 – this level of violence was far above the average for the past three decades. 2024 was the fourth most deadly year since the Cold War ended in 1989.
Two major wars dominated the battlefield: Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine claimed an estimated 76,000 lives, while the war in Gaza killed 26,000. But these headline conflicts are only part of the picture.
What is increasingly alarming is the multiplication of conflicts within individual countries. More than half of all conflict-affected states now face two or more separate state-based conflicts, which are internal conflicts where the government is one of the warring parties. In nine countries, there were three or more state-based conflicts. This reflects a deepening complexity in global conflict dynamics – where state fragility, transnational actors and local grievances feed into overlapping crises that are harder to contain, let alone resolve.
“Conflicts are no longer isolated. They’re layered, transnational and increasingly difficult to end,” said Rustad. “It is a mistake to assume the world can look away. Whether under President Trump or any future administration, abandoning global solidarity now would mean walking away from the very stability the U.S. helped build after 1945.”
The data also identified a rise in militant group activity as a key driver of new and sustained violence. While the Islamic State (IS) remained active in at least 12 countries, other groups like Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) expanded its footprint. JNIM operated in five West African countries in 2024.
Africa remained the most conflict-affected region last year, with 28 state-based conflicts recorded, nearly double the number from a decade earlier. Asia followed with 17, the Middle East with 10, Europe with 3 and the Americas with 2.
“Our analysis shows that the global security landscape is not improving, it’s fracturing. And without sustained international engagement, the risks to civilians, regional stability and international order will only deepen,” warned Rustad.
For more information or to arrange an interview
- Contact Michelle Delaney, Communication Director at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) | michelle@prio.org | mobile 0047 941 65 579.
- Click here to download the whole PRIO report, Conflict Trends: A Global Overview, 1946-2024.
- The 2024 Uppsala University statistics will be published in the July issue of Journal of Peace Research.
