2025 saw most wars since WWII, third deadliest year since the Cold War ended: Report
Researcher Siri Aas Rustad said Israel is "among the most militarily active countries" in the world, given its involvement in multiple wars
A report by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), titled 'Conflict Trends' and drawing on data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), reveals that 2025 was the most conflict-ridden year since World War II, with 65 conflicts involving at least one government party, and the third deadliest since the Cold War ended, recording nearly 2,45,000 deaths in direct battles or political violence, a stark increase from 14,200 in 2024, with approximately 76,500 civilians killed, and highlights Israel as a highly militarily active nation involved in multiple conflicts, while also noting that the second presidency of Donald Trump coincided with increased attacks, violence, and trade barriers, and identifies the conflict between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), particularly the massacres in El Fasher, Darfur, as a major driver of civilian deaths, with Africa being the most affected region for state-based conflicts, followed by Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, and Europe, indicating a sustained high level of global conflicts.
A report by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), titled 'Conflict Trends' and drawing on data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), reveals that 2025 was the most conflict-ridden year since World War II, with 65 conflicts involving at least one government party, and the third deadliest since the Cold War ended, recording nearly 2,45,000 deaths in direct battles or political violence, a stark increase from 14,200 in 2024, with approximately 76,500 civilians killed, and highlights Israel as a highly militarily active nation involved in multiple conflicts, while also noting that the second presidency of Donald Trump coincided with increased attacks, violence, and trade barriers, and identifies the conflict between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), particularly the massacres in El Fasher, Darfur, as a major driver of civilian deaths, with Africa being the most affected region for state-based conflicts, followed by Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, and Europe, indicating a sustained high level of global conflicts.
A report by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), titled 'Conflict Trends' and drawing on data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), reveals that 2025 was the most conflict-ridden year since World War II, with 65 conflicts involving at least one government party, and the third deadliest since the Cold War ended, recording nearly 2,45,000 deaths in direct battles or political violence, a stark increase from 14,200 in 2024, with approximately 76,500 civilians killed, and highlights Israel as a highly militarily active nation involved in multiple conflicts, while also noting that the second presidency of Donald Trump coincided with increased attacks, violence, and trade barriers, and identifies the conflict between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), particularly the massacres in El Fasher, Darfur, as a major driver of civilian deaths, with Africa being the most affected region for state-based conflicts, followed by Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, and Europe, indicating a sustained high level of global conflicts.
2025 has been pegged as the year that saw the most number of conflicts since World War II and it was also the third deadliest year since the Cold War ended, according to a report by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).
Titled 'Conflict Trends', the PRIO report is based on the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), the world's main provider of data on organised violence. The report said 2025 witnessed 65 conflicts involving at least one government party, which is the highest number of wars since 1946.
Besides, the number of state-based conflicts were at their highest in 80 years, doubling to eight. These included the India-Pakistan conflict wherein New Delhi targeted terror launchpads and military sites in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack and foiled strikes on Indian military facilities. There were also the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, the conflicts between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Cambodia and Thailand as well as the Russia-Ukraine war, the Gaza war, Israeli operations in Syria and more.
Researcher Siri Aas Rustad said currently, Israel is "among the most militarily active countries" in the world, given its involvement in multiple wars, including the Hamas in Gaza, the Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen as well as Syria and Iran.
She added that the second presidency of US President Donald Trump has also resulted "not only more attacks and violence but also an escalation in trade barriers."
2025 recorded nearly 2,45,000 deaths in direct battles or political violence. Around 76,500 were killed in attacks targeting civilians. Compared to this, 2024 saw just 14,200 deaths globally.
This makes 2025 the third deadliest since the end of the Cold War. The most deadliest years were 1994 due to the Rwandan genocide and 2021 due to the war in Tigray, Ethiopia.
One of the main reasons for the surge in civilian deaths in 2025 was due to the conflict between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The massacres in El Fasher, Darfur, claimed around 60,000 lives.
The most affected region is Africa, which saw 29 state-based conflicts. It is followed by Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Europe.
"Unfortunately, there aren't many positive things. Usually, I find a silver lining, but this year is shocking in terms of numbers," say Rustad.
"The world gets no break. This is different from how it used to be; we are now seeing a sustained high level of conflicts globally," she adds.