Ukraine war remains deadliest as 2024 marks most violent year since WWII — study
In 2024, the world recorded its highest number of armed
conflicts since the end of World War II, with the war in Ukraine remaining the
deadliest, claiming around 76,000 lives last year, The
Times reported, citing data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP)
at Sweden’s Uppsala University.
According to the study, there were 61 state-level conflicts
globally in 2024, including 11 full-scale wars or conflicts where more than
1,000 people were killed in combat.
Analysts reported that 160,000 people were killed in what
they classify as “organized violence” last year, marking the fifth-highest
death toll from conflicts since 1989.
The Times noted that the number of conflicts has risen each
year over the past three years: 56 in 2022, 59 in 2023, and 61 in 2024.
Last year, 11 conflicts met the threshold of active warfare.
These included the war in Ukraine, Israel’s operation in Gaza, Israel’s clashes
with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, fighting with Islamic State in Nigeria, and
violence in Ethiopia. Other conflicts involved government forces in Burkina
Faso, Myanmar, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, and Syria.
The Swedish analysts warned that civilians face mounting
risks and are increasingly being deliberately targeted. In 2024, 13,900
civilians were killed in intentional attacks — a 31% increase compared to 2023.
The largest share of civilian deaths — about 3,800 — was attributed to Islamic
State attacks.
The deadliest year since World War II remains 1994, due to
the Rwandan genocide, which killed 823,499 people, according to the report. The
bloodiest year this century remains 2022, with 308,614 deaths. The war in
Ukraine, the study notes, remains the deadliest single conflict since WWII.
On May 29, the United Nations reported that Ukraine’s
civilian death toll from Russia’s invasion rose by 59% in the first quarter of
2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Since the start of Russia’s
full-scale invasion, at least 13,279 civilians have been killed in Ukraine,
including 707 children, according to the UN.
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