Record Number of Global Conflicts and Fatalities in 2025

Reports reveal a significant rise in global conflicts and fatalities in 2025. According to a study from Uppsala University in Sweden, 65 conflicts were recorded. This is the highest number since World War II.

Shawn Davies, a senior analyst at the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), mentioned a notable increase in interstate conflicts. In 2025, the number of direct state conflicts doubled to eight, the highest recorded since 1946.

Some of these conflicts included confrontations between Russia and Ukraine, Iran and Israel, and India and Pakistan. Others involved Israel’s engagements in Syria and Yemen, Afghanistan’s border conflict with Pakistan, and tensions in the Red Sea involving the U.S. and U.K. against Yemen’s Houthis.

“We are seeing a clear increase in conflicts between states. For a long time, interstate wars were relatively rare, but developments in recent years point to growing international tensions and a changing global security order,” said Shawn Davies.

While these are state-based conflicts, the UCDP also highlights a concerning rise in intrastate conflicts, where governments combat rebel groups within their borders.

In terms of fatalities, 2025 saw approximately 244,600 deaths, surpassing the 187,000 in 2024. Therése Pettersson of UCDP emphasized an alarming increase in violence, especially against civilians in Sudan.

“It is not only a story of more conflicts, but also of extremely high levels of lethal violence,” noted Therése Pettersson.

The UCDP categorizes violence into state-based, non-state, and one-sided violence. State-based involves government forces, non-state includes clashes between groups not representing a state, and one-sided targets civilians.

Data shows 13 conflicts in 2025 resulted in over 1,000 battlefield deaths, defining them as wars. The Russia-Ukraine war was the deadliest, responsible for 62% of deaths. Despite the lack of regular casualty reports from the warring parties, Uppsala researchers provided figures using open-source data.

Israel-Hamas clashes resulted in 14,400 deaths, marking the second deadliest conflict, though much reduced due to ceasefire accords. Meanwhile, Sudan faced 12,200 deaths from government and RSF clashes, with significant civilian casualties in places like El Fasher.

The study links the escalated conflicts to shifts in international dynamics, specifically criticizing the United States’ evolving role. It references the U.S. turning from the order it created post-World War II.

“The extremely high number of conflicts and wars recorded in 2025, particularly the record number of interstate conflicts lends credence to the growing number of voices arguing that we are witnessing the end of Pax Americana,” the study mentioned.

Pettersson remarked that while data reflects increased interstate conflicts, it doesn’t tie directly to particular U.S. policy shifts.

“What the data shows is that interstate conflicts have increased sharply over the past decade and reached their highest level since World War II,” she added.

Looking ahead, 2026 does not appear optimistic. Preliminary data suggests the trend of rising conflicts may persist.