Women Exposed to Armed Conflict, 1990–2025

According to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP),1 2025 saw the highest number of state-based conflicts recorded since 1946 and was the fifth deadliest year for conflict since the end of the Cold War, with approximately 255,000 fatalities across all conflict types.2 While these figures reflect the scale of global violence, its consequences are not experienced uniformly. Men and women are affected in distinct ways, shaped by social roles, vulnerabilities and exposure to different forms of harm. This policy brief focuses specifically on how and where women are impacted by conflict, highlighting regional disparities, patterns of violence and the gendered dimensions of insecurity, with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa.