Conflicts surged across the world in 2024, data suggests

There was a steep rise in political violence over the past year, with Ukraine and Palestine considered the two major global hotspots of conflict.

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00:00How did global conflicts evolve in 2024?

00:07The world experienced a further surge in conflicts in 2024,

00:12according to newly released data. The watchdog Armed Conflict Location and Events Data estimates

00:19that in 2024 there was a 25% increase in political violence across the world compared to 2023,

00:28with 1 in 8 people exposed to conflict and 223,000 people killed.

00:34The watchdog also says there has been a two-fold increase in global conflicts

00:39over the past five years. Another study by the International Institute for International Studies

00:45concludes that the intensity and human toll of armed conflict is also on the rise, with 37%

00:53more people killed in the year leading up to June this year compared to the previous year-long

00:58period. So where are these conflicts happening and where are their impacts most severe?

01:05There are ongoing armed conflicts in an estimated 50 countries worldwide. The Middle East is

01:11considered the most volatile region and Palestine the most conflict-ridden country. 81% of Palestine's

01:19population is exposed to conflict and 35,000 fatalities were recorded in the past 12 months.

01:27Meanwhile, the conflict in Ukraine was the deadliest in the world in 2024,

01:32while Myanmar had the highest number of active armed groups.

01:37Conflicts in other regions of the world are also considered severely volatile.

01:42Experts predict that in 2025, countries such as Pakistan in Asia, Mexico and Colombia in the

01:49Americas, and Sudan, the Great Lakes and the Sahel in Africa could also be vulnerable to further uprising.