Armed conflict kills around 1.2 million people worldwide each year. Civilians account for half of conflict deaths, and explosive weapons cause 61 percent of those civilian fatalities. One in three women experiences physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner.
Key Takeaways
- 378,000 people died from terrorism in 2019 worldwide (global estimate)
- 1,733,000 people were displaced within their own country in 2022 due to conflict/violence (internally displaced persons, global figure)
- 108,029 refugees and asylum-seekers were recorded as arriving in 2023 in 33 European countries (global displacement pressures reflected by Europe’s recorded arrivals)
- USD $1.6 trillion is the estimated annual global cost of violence against women and girls (OECD estimate, 2016)
- USD $10.7 trillion is the estimated global annual cost of violence against children (UNICEF estimate, 2015)
- USD $7.8 billion is the estimated annual cost of violence against women in low- and middle-income countries in 2016 (WHO/PAHO-cited estimate)
- 7% of women aged 15–49 worldwide experienced sexual violence by an intimate partner at least once in their lifetime (WHO global estimate)
- 1 in 3 women (35%) worldwide has experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence (WHO/UN Women estimate)
- 20% of women worldwide report experiencing physical or sexual violence in the past 12 months (multi-country survey findings summarized by WHO)
- 31% of the global population lived in conflict-affected countries in 2022 (World Bank/LIC estimates summarized in World Development Report)
- 3 years is the median time to complete a homicide case in the International Association of Prosecutors global survey (median duration reported in 2019)
- 2.4 million children in conflict-affected settings were reached with education in emergencies in 2021 (UNICEF Education Cannot Wait figures)
- 1,820 recorded armed conflicts occurred worldwide in 2021 (UCDP conflict dataset total conflicts)
- Approximately 1.2 million people were killed in armed conflict in 2019 worldwide (UCDP/AHPC conflict mortality estimate)
- 50% of all conflict-related deaths occurred among civilians in the UCDP estimates for 2020 (UCDP civilian targeting metrics)
Violence and conflict are displacing millions and costing trillions, harming women and children worldwide every year.
Related reading
01 · Category
Epidemiology & Burden3 stats
01
378,000 people died from terrorism in 2019 worldwide (global estimate)
02
1,733,000 people were displaced within their own country in 2022 due to conflict/violence (internally displaced persons, global figure)
03
108,029 refugees and asylum-seekers were recorded as arriving in 2023 in 33 European countries (global displacement pressures reflected by Europe’s recorded arrivals)
Interpretation
Epidemiology & Burden Interpretation
From an epidemiology and burden perspective, the data show that large scale violence is not only lethal but also persistently displacing people, with 378,000 deaths from terrorism in 2019 worldwide and 1,733,000 internally displaced in 2022, while Europe alone recorded 108,029 refugee and asylum seeker arrivals in 2023 across 33 countries.
03 · Category
Prevalence & Risk Factors6 stats
01
7% of women aged 15–49 worldwide experienced sexual violence by an intimate partner at least once in their lifetime (WHO global estimate)
02
1 in 3 women (35%) worldwide has experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence (WHO/UN Women estimate)
03
20% of women worldwide report experiencing physical or sexual violence in the past 12 months (multi-country survey findings summarized by WHO)
04
9% of children aged 2–17 worldwide experienced physical punishment and/or psychological aggression at least once in the past month (UNICEF global estimate)
05
18% of girls aged 15–19 worldwide were married or in a union before age 18 (UNICEF global estimate, SDG 5.3)
06
8% of adult women experienced stalking at least once in the past year in a WHO global assessment (WHO estimate)
Interpretation
Prevalence & Risk Factors Interpretation
Across prevalence and risk factors, violence remains widespread with WHO estimates showing 35% of women experience some form of intimate partner physical and or sexual violence or non partner sexual violence and recent reports add that 20% of women faced physical or sexual violence in the past 12 months.
04 · Category
Policy, Prevention & Response7 stats
01
31% of the global population lived in conflict-affected countries in 2022 (World Bank/LIC estimates summarized in World Development Report)
02
3 years is the median time to complete a homicide case in the International Association of Prosecutors global survey (median duration reported in 2019)
03
2.4 million children in conflict-affected settings were reached with education in emergencies in 2021 (UNICEF Education Cannot Wait figures)
04
USD $4.8 billion in reported global humanitarian assistance was allocated to protection and safety in 2020 (OCHA FTS classification)
05
OCHA recorded 32,000 security incidents against humanitarian workers in 2022 (global humanitarian security incidents)
06
4.6% of global official development assistance (ODA) in 2020 was allocated to peace and security (OECD/DAC estimate)
07
$1.2 billion was committed globally to preventing violence against women and girls in 2022 (OECD/UN Women data on development aid commitments)
Interpretation
Policy, Prevention & Response Interpretation
In 2022, conflict-affected settings still involved 31% of the global population, and while prevention and response funding is present, only 4.6% of 2020 ODA went to peace and security and $1.2 billion was committed to prevent violence against women and girls, showing that policy and prevention investments must scale fast enough to match the scale of risk and the system delays like a 3 year median homicide case timeline.
05 · Category
Terrorism & Armed Conflict5 stats
01
1,820 recorded armed conflicts occurred worldwide in 2021 (UCDP conflict dataset total conflicts)
02
Approximately 1.2 million people were killed in armed conflict in 2019 worldwide (UCDP/AHPC conflict mortality estimate)
03
50% of all conflict-related deaths occurred among civilians in the UCDP estimates for 2020 (UCDP civilian targeting metrics)
04
125,000+ people were killed in Russia-Ukraine conflict as of mid-2022 (UN OHCHR estimates referenced in UN reporting)
05
18,000+ people were killed in conflicts in Yemen in 2020 (UN OCHA/UN reporting for Yemen)
Interpretation
Terrorism & Armed Conflict Interpretation
In the Terrorism and Armed Conflict landscape, violence remained widespread in 2021 with 1,820 recorded armed conflicts worldwide, and the toll was severe with about 1.2 million people killed in armed conflict in 2019 and roughly half of conflict related deaths in 2020 falling on civilians.
06 · Category
Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement1 stats
01
The global homicide rate was 5.4 per 100,000 population in 2019 (UNODC estimate)
Interpretation
Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement Interpretation
In the Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement context, the UNODC estimate shows the global homicide rate was 5.4 per 100,000 people in 2019, underscoring the ongoing scale of lethal violence that criminal justice systems must address.
More related reading
07 · Category
Security & Access5 stats
01
9.1% of the world’s population lived in a conflict-affected state in 2023 (share living in countries with conflict conditions)
02
12,900 attacks on healthcare were recorded globally in 2023 (number of attacks on healthcare facilities and personnel)
03
20,500 civilians were killed in conflict in 2022 in which at least one party used explosive weapons in populated areas (estimated casualties from explosive weapons in populated areas)
04
3,500 schools were damaged or destroyed by explosive weapons in 2023 (number of education facilities impacted)
05
65 countries reported outbreaks of violence-related conflict displacement in 2022 (country count with conflict/violence displacement reporting)
Interpretation
Security & Access Interpretation
In 2023, 9.1% of the world’s population lived in conflict-affected states while healthcare and schools were repeatedly targeted, with 12,900 attacks on healthcare and 3,500 education facilities damaged or destroyed, underscoring how security breakdown directly threatens access to essential services.
08 · Category
Conflict Exposure1 stats
01
61% of civilians killed in conflict in 2022 were killed by explosive weapons (proportion among civilian deaths from explosive weapons)
Interpretation
Conflict Exposure Interpretation
Within the Conflict Exposure category, explosive weapons accounted for 61% of civilian deaths in 2022, showing that most civilian harm in conflict is driven by these weapons.
09 · Category
Violent Crime2 stats
01
400,000 people were killed by homicide globally each year on average (homicide deaths estimate per year)
02
10% of global deaths are attributed to interpersonal violence (estimated fraction of total deaths)
Interpretation
Violent Crime Interpretation
Every year, around 400,000 people are killed by homicide globally, showing that violent crime remains a major driver of death worldwide since interpersonal violence accounts for about 10% of all global deaths.
10 · Category
Health Burden3 stats
01
1 in 5 women report experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime (lifetime prevalence estimate)
02
1 in 10 children experienced physical or psychological violence in the past month in 2019–2021 (global prevalence estimate from recent survey evidence)
03
50% of global stunting is linked to early-life adversity including violence exposure (estimated contribution of adversity including violence to stunting burden)
Interpretation
Health Burden Interpretation
From a health burden perspective, violence is not a distant issue but a common one, with 1 in 5 women experiencing intimate partner physical or sexual violence and 1 in 10 children reporting recent physical or psychological violence, while violence linked early-life adversity is estimated to account for 50% of global stunting.
11 · Category
Economic Impact2 stats
01
3.6% of global GDP is lost due to violence-related impacts on health and security (share of GDP lost to violence in a global estimate)
02
USD $1.4 billion in recorded humanitarian assistance was allocated to “Protection and Safety” in 2022 (annual allocation value for protection and safety)
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
The economic impact of violence is stark, with an estimated 3.6% of global GDP lost to health and security effects and only USD 1.4 billion in humanitarian funding for protection and safety in 2022, underscoring how large the costs are relative to targeted support.
12 · Category
Displacement Dynamics3 stats
01
3.4 million new refugees were recorded during 2023 (new arrivals/refugee status determinations in 2023)
02
1.1 million people were internally displaced during 2023 due to conflict and violence (new internal displacement during 2023)
03
27,200 refugees were resettled globally in 2023 (global resettlement departures)
Interpretation
Displacement Dynamics Interpretation
In displacement dynamics, 3.4 million people newly became refugees in 2023 while 1.1 million were newly internally displaced, and only 27,200 refugees were resettled globally, highlighting how far displacement is outpacing durable solutions.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Priya Chandrasekaran. (2026, February 13). Global Violence Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/global-violence-statistics
MLA
Priya Chandrasekaran. "Global Violence Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/global-violence-statistics.
Chicago
Priya Chandrasekaran. 2026. "Global Violence Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/global-violence-statistics.
Sources & references
42 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+20 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)