Study warns world entering new era of escalating violence
The world has entered a new era of heightened violence, with 2025 witnessing the highest number of state-based conflicts since World War II and a dramatic increase in attacks against civilians, according to a new report by the Peace Research Institute Oslo.
The institute’s annual Conflict Trends report found that 65 conflicts involving at least one state were recorded worldwide in 2025, the highest figure since records began in 1946. The number of interstate conflicts also doubled from the previous year, reaching eight.
Presenting the findings, Siri Aas Rustad described the figures as “shocking,” noting that multiple large-scale conflicts are now occurring simultaneously without significant periods of de-escalation.
According to the report, around 245,000 people were killed in conflicts or political violence in 2025, making it the third-deadliest year since the end of the Cold War. Of those, approximately 76,500 deaths resulted from attacks targeting civilians, a sharp increase from 14,200 in 2024.
Researchers attributed much of the rise in civilian casualties to the ongoing conflict in Sudan, where fighting between the army and paramilitary forces, particularly around the city of El Fasher, is estimated to have caused tens of thousands of deaths.
The report cites a range of interstate conflicts and regional tensions, including disputes involving India and Pakistan, the war in Ukraine, and escalating confrontations across the Middle East.
Rustad also highlighted Israel as one of the countries most actively involved in multiple regional conflicts, including operations linked to Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Iran and Yemen.
The report, based on data compiled by the Uppsala Conflict Data Program at Uppsala University, concludes that global polarization is deepening and international cooperation mechanisms are weakening.
Africa remained the region with the highest number of state-based conflicts in 2025, followed by Asia, the Middle East, the Americas and Europe, according to the study.
Source-Photo:AMNA
