A recent study reveals that there were increased state conflicts in 2025 compared to any period following World War II. The previous year also marked the third most lethal conflict era since the conclusion of the Cold War.
Last year, 65 conflicts featuring at least one government were documented globally, marking a record level since 1946, as reported by a research paper released on Tuesday.
The yearly "Conflict Trends" publication by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) revealed that 2025 ranked as the third most fatal year for conflicts since the end of the Cold War, with higher casualties recorded solely in 1994 and 2021.
"Normally I can manage to find some positivity in it, but this year the figures are surprising," said researcher Siri Aas Rustad to journalists.
The count of disputes between two nations reached an all-time high over the past 80 years, increasing from four in 2024 to eight, including confrontations between India and Pakistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan and Cambodia and Thailand, along with Russia's continued aggression against nearby Ukraine.
Approximately 35 nations participated in hostilities, yet fewer than half engaged in just a single dispute. For instance, Israel was concurrently involved in several distinct conflicts—those in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, and against Houthi militants in Yemen.
The report stated, 'This pattern indicates an increasing intricacy in conflict situations, involving more parties, which carries significant consequences for our approach to analyzing and addressing conflicts.'
The region hardest hit by conflicts involving states was Africa, with Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, and Europe coming next.
PRIO's study utilizes data gathered by the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) associated with Norway's Uppsala University. It categorizes structured violence into three types: disputes featuring at least one government, conflicts between non-state actors, and instances of unilateral aggression directed at civilian populations.
The study revealed that there were 75 non-governmental conflicts in 2025, showing a small decrease compared to 79 in 2024. It noted that there was a significant reduction in deadly confrontations among Mexican drug gangs during the previous year.
The third most lethal year since the Cold War
As per the report, approximately 245,000 individuals lost their lives due to combat-related causes in 2025, marking it as the third deadliest year since the end of the Cold War. This surge was primarily fueled by Russia's conflict in Ukraine, the violence in Sudan and The Israeli aerial assault on Gaza The Israeli air strikes targeting Gaza Israeli military operations over Gaza The Israeli attack strategy in Gaza Bombing efforts by Israel in the Gaza Strip Israels offensive airstrikes against Gaza Military bombings conducted by Israel in Gaza The ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza Aerial attacks launched by Israel into Gaza Operations involving Israeli bombing in Gaza .
Approximately 76,500 fatalities linked to combat were caused by assaults specifically aimed at non-combatants – marking a significant rise compared to 14,200 in 2024.
Only 1994 and 2021 had higher death tolls. This was attributed to the Rwandan genocide in which approximately 800,000 individuals were killed, and the the conflict in the Tigray area of Ethiopia where hundreds of thousands lost their lives between 2020 and 2022.
According to the PRIO report, the number of fatalities caused by conflicts over the last five years exceeded the total death toll from the preceding two decades before 2021.
"In the last five or six years, what has occurred is that there are multiple major conflicts happening simultaneously, which appear to replace one another. The global community does not experience much respite," Rustad stated.
"and that differs from before - this ongoing intense level of global conflict," she added.
Edited by Sean Sinico
Don't allow the algorithm to conceal the news. If you depend on our team for reliable journalism, kindly spend a minute to Make us your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and selecting the "star" or "preferred" option so you will consistently encounter our confirmed news first.
Writer: Natalie Muller (with AFP)