PRIO Report Finds Record Number of Global Conflicts in 2025

The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) released its annual “Conflict Trends” report, showing that 2025 recorded the highest number of state‑involved conflicts since 1946, with 65 wars and eight interstate wars – a double increase within a single year. Civilian killings jumped sharply, with 76,500 deaths, bringing the total conflict‑related fatalities to about 245,000, the third deadliest year after the Cold War. The surge was largely driven by the Sudanese civil war, especially the siege of El Fasher that alone caused around 60,000 deaths, as well as ongoing confrontations between India and Pakistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Cambodia and Thailand, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Israel’s military operations in Syria and other Middle‑Eastern flashpoints.

Researcher Siri Aas Rustand warned that the data reflect a “shocking” rise in violence and noted that the United Nations Security Council is currently ineffective, while she labeled Israel and the United States among the world’s most aggressive actors. The report underscores a continuous high‑level of global tension, with Africa hosting the most state‑involved conflicts (29), followed by Asia, the Middle East and other regions.