More countries are playing a role in violent conflicts than any time since World War II

Out of 195 countries in the world (including two non-member observer states at the U.N., the Holy See and the State of Palestine), 92 countries were at least partially involved in conflicts beyond their borders in recent years, according to a respected international research agency, the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
The IEP’s 2024 Global Peace Index (GPI) provides a comprehensive data-driven analysis of 23 different indicators of “global peacefulness.” Other similar assessment efforts have applied varied criteria to measuring global conflict over the years, including from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP).
What does it all mean? The numbers have remained fairly stable in recent decades for both traditional intrastate conflicts (a country fighting rebels within) or interstate conflicts (two sovereign countries fighting). As reflected below, it’s the international coalitions of countries involved in backing various fights that has expanded noticeably (an increase in 33 countries, up from 59 in 2008).
While only three of the 92 countries have been acting alone in some kind of a conflict, 33 others were involved in a small coalition, and 84 were involved in a large coalition of 10 or more countries — most of which were supporting “an existing government in its conflict with an internal armed rebel or terrorist group.”
Here’s another graphical representation of the same general data trend, this time zooming into the years since 1989 — again demonstrating a steady increase over recent years especially in “non-state violence” (where one state battles terrorists, rebels, or other criminal groups, often with the assistance of other allied countries).
Depending on the measurement criteria used, the picture of global warfare and conflict looks different. For instance, although the Global Peace Index identifies 56 substantial conflicts in which those 92 countries are involved, the Geneva Academy’s Rule of Law in Armed Conflict identifies almost double that — 110 — based on finer distinctions in how international law classifies “armed conflict.” The Uppsala Conflict Data program has also identified nearly 50 more ongoing conflicts based on an even more detailed set of classifications.
Some of these conflicts have started only recently, while others like the civil war in Burma (Myanmar) have raged for more than 60 years.
A few of the largest conflicts generate regular headlines, while many others don’t (Myanmar, Mali and Libya, for instance). IEP cautions that “the rising number of minor conflicts increases the likelihood of more major conflicts in the future” — pointing to Ukraine and Gaza, which were both classified in 2019 as “minor conflicts.”
“It is imperative for governments and businesses worldwide to intensify their efforts to resolve the many minor conflicts before they escalate into larger crises,” says Steve Killelea, IEP’s founder and executive chairman.
Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, Europe remains the most peaceful region overall according IEP’s assessment — with Iceland ranking as the world’s most peaceful country since 2008, followed by Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, and Singapore. (Asia-Pacific remains the second most peaceful region by these same standards).
According to IEP’s 23 variables, the United States ranks as the 132nd most peaceful country — linked to a homicide rate twice as high as the global average, and an increase in the number of politically motivated attacks and mass shootings among other variables.
Yemen takes Afghanistan’s place this year as IEP’s least peaceful country in the world, followed by Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. Different assessments agree that the Middle East and North Africa remains the least peaceful region overall — home to four of the 10 least peaceful countries in the world, two of the least peaceful, Sudan and Yemen.
In addition to these most obvious areas of conflict, there are 45 other armed conflicts active in the Middle Eastern/North African region according to the Geneva Academy, including in Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Turkey, and Western Sahara. (The UAE is a substantial exception to that pattern, recording the largest improvement in peacefulness in the region in the 2024 results).
The second least peaceful region according to many measures is Sub-Saharan Africa, with the Geneva Academy identifying 35 non-international armed conflicts taking place in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
Asia also has 19 non-international armed conflicts taking place in Afghanistan, India, Myanmar, Pakistan and The Philippines — along with two international armed conflicts that are simmering between India and Pakistan and India and China. In addition to its incursion into Ukraine, Russia also occupies part of Transdniestria (Moldova) and South Ossetia and Abkhazia (Georgia), while Armenia is occupying parts of Nagorno Karabakh (Azerbaijan).
Six non-international armed conflicts are taking place in Latin America too — particularly in Mexico and Colombia. The Geneva Academy notes that Columbia is experiencing “one of the longest non-international armed conflicts in modern times.” And Dr. Chiara Redealli explains that “given the level of organization of the cartels and intensity of violence,” Mexico’s conflicts with drug cartels have been classified as three official “armed conflicts” for the first time.
Trends in conflict deaths over time run in two different directions. On one hand, a statistical analysis of battle deaths up through 2020 found evidence that the world had become more peaceful in the past 30 years.
More recent trends, however, have not been as encouraging. “Over the past decade, peacefulness has declined in nine out of the ten years” says IEP Founder Steve Killelea. “We are witnessing a record number of conflicts, a rise in militarisation, and heightened international strategic competition.”
As IEP notes in their 2024 report, 97 countries have deteriorated in peacefulness, more than any year since they began tracking the Global Peace Index in 2008. Since the Ukraine war began, militarization has also increased in nearly 100 countries — reversing a previous 15-year trend.
This global decline in peacefulness is primarily driven by conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, as reported battle deaths reached 162,000 in 2023 according to IEP. North America also recorded a 5% deterioration in peacefulness — including increases in violent crime and fear of violence in both the US and Canada. Central America and the Caribbean also experienced a minor decline in peacefulness, as countries like Haiti battled high levels of organized crime and civil unrest (the big exception being El Salvador, which recorded the world’s most significant improvement in peace). South America also experienced a 3.6% decline in peacefulness.
Global evidence for how often conflicts are reconciled or resolved is also concerning. According to IEP, the number of conflicts resulting in a decisive victory for either side has fallen from 49% in the 1970s, to less than 9% in the 2010s. In the same period, the number of conflicts ending in peace agreements dropped from 23% to just over 4%.
Although most indicators of peacefulness deteriorated over the past 18 years, IEP also reports encouraging improvement in the international homicide rate which dropped in 112 countries in the latest data, including in the United States.