While a staggering 184,000 political violence events were recorded worldwide in just one year, these statistics only begin to map the devastating human cost of modern conflict, from the terror attacks that fill headlines to the often-overlooked wars and repressions that kill millions.
Key Takeaways
- The Global Terrorism Database recorded 8,312 terrorist attacks worldwide in 2014, the highest annual total since its inception.
- In 2022, terrorism deaths fell by 9% to 6,701 globally, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 48% of all terrorism deaths.
- From 2000 to 2019, Islamist extremist groups were responsible for 50% of all terrorism fatalities worldwide.
- The Syrian Civil War resulted in 614,000 deaths from 2011 to 2023, primarily from armed conflict.
- In 2022, ACLED recorded 184,000 political violence events globally, with 233,000 fatalities.
- Ethiopia's Tigray War (2020-2022) caused 600,000 deaths.
- From 1997-2023, 55 successful political assassinations recorded by UCDP.
- In 1963, John F. Kennedy assassination by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas.
- Indira Gandhi assassinated on October 31, 1984 by Sikh bodyguards.
- Jovenel Moïse assassinated July 7, 2021 in Haiti.
- From 2016-2022, 650+ violent protest events in US.
- January 6, 2021 US Capitol riot resulted in 5 deaths and 174 arrests.
- 2020 George Floyd protests saw 25 deaths and $1-2 billion in damages.
- In 2022, Myanmar military killed 2,360 civilians in crackdowns.
- China Uyghur repression: 1 million+ detained since 2017.
Political violence has risen worldwide, primarily driven by extremists and civil wars.
Civil Conflict Casualties
- The Syrian Civil War resulted in 614,000 deaths from 2011 to 2023, primarily from armed conflict.
- In 2022, ACLED recorded 184,000 political violence events globally, with 233,000 fatalities.
- Ethiopia's Tigray War (2020-2022) caused 600,000 deaths.
- Afghanistan conflict (2001-2021) led to 176,000 direct deaths.
- From 1989-2022, UCDP recorded 2.5 million battle-related deaths in state-based conflicts.
- Myanmar's civil war post-2021 coup saw 4,000+ fatalities in 2022 alone.
- Colombia's armed conflict (1964-2023) resulted in 450,000 deaths.
- DR Congo conflicts caused 6.9 million deaths since 1996.
- Ukraine-Russia war (2022-2024) has over 500,000 casualties.
- Somalia's civil war (1991-2023) led to 500,000+ deaths.
- In 2021, Sudan saw 12,000 fatalities from civil conflict.
- Mexico's cartel wars caused 400,000 homicides since 2006.
- Libya post-2011 civil wars resulted in 50,000 deaths.
- Mali's Tuareg and jihadist insurgencies killed 10,000+ since 2012.
- Nigeria's Boko Haram insurgency caused 350,000 deaths including indirect.
- Yemen civil war (2014-2024) over 377,000 deaths.
- South Sudan civil war (2013-2020) 383,000 deaths.
- Central African Republic conflict (2012-2023) 10,000+ direct deaths.
- In 2022, Sahel region had 8,000 battle deaths.
- Peru's Shining Path insurgency killed 69,000 from 1980-2000.
- Algeria civil war (1991-2002) 200,000 deaths.
- Philippines Moro insurgency 120,000 deaths since 1970s.
- In 2023, Sudan conflict fatalities exceeded 15,000.
- India's Naxalite insurgency caused 12,000 deaths since 2000.
- Thailand's southern insurgency 7,000 deaths since 2004.
- From 1946-2022, 585 state-based armed conflicts.
- In 2020, global battle deaths were 89,000.
- Between 2011-2021, MENA conflicts caused 1.2 million deaths.
- Since 1989, non-state conflicts increased from 5 to 50 annually.
- India's Naxalites killed 10,000+ in 20 years.
- From 2002-2022, global conflict deaths averaged 100,000/year.
- In 2022, 56 state-based conflicts active worldwide.
- Nepal civil war (1996-2006) 17,000 deaths.
- Between 1816-2007, 238 interstate wars.
- Aceh conflict in Indonesia killed 15,000 from 1976-2005.
Civil Conflict Casualties Interpretation
Humanity’s ledgers are filled with grim spreadsheets of conflict, where the sum of our political failures is not measured in data points but in millions of lives, each number a testament to our tragic and unrelenting skill at organizing violence against ourselves.
Government Crackdowns and Repression
- In 2022, Myanmar military killed 2,360 civilians in crackdowns.
- China Uyghur repression: 1 million+ detained since 2017.
- Syria regime under Assad killed 200,000 civilians 2011-2023.
- Russia 2022 Ukraine invasion civilian targeting: 10,000+ deaths.
- Venezuela Maduro crackdowns 2014-2023: 300+ killed in protests.
- Iran morality police killing of Mahsa Amini sparked protests with 500+ deaths.
- Nicaragua Ortega repression: 355 killed since 2018.
- Egypt Sisi regime: 900 killed in 2013 Rabaa massacre.
- Belarus Lukashenko 2020: 5 killed, 35,000 arrested.
- Ethiopia Tigray 2020-2022: 1,100 civilians killed by government forces.
- Turkey post-2016 coup purges: 100,000+ detained, 152 killed.
- Sudan 2019 sit-in massacre: 124 killed by RSF.
- Xinjiang internment camps hold 1-3 million Uyghurs.
- North Korea political prison camps: 120,000 detainees, 400,000 deaths since 1990s.
- Cambodia Khmer Rouge but modern Hun Sen: 100+ opposition killed/detained.
- Russia Navalny poisoning and death 2020-2024, 20,000 arrested post-death.
- Cuba 2021 protests: 1 killed, 1,300 arrested.
- El Salvador Bukele gang crackdown: 70,000 arrested, 200+ deaths in custody.
- Bangladesh Awami League 2024 crackdown: 1,400 killed in protests.
- India Kashmir post-2019: 100+ killed in encounters/crackdowns.
- Philippines Duterte drug war: 30,000 extrajudicial killings.
- Saudi Arabia Khashoggi killing 2018 and MBS repression: dozens exiled/killed.
- Vietnam blogger crackdowns: 160 prisoners of conscience.
- Algeria Hirak repression: 2,700 detained.
- Bolivia 2019 Morales ouster violence: 37 killed by security forces.
- In 2021, 85 countries used excessive force on protesters.
- Eritrea no protests allowed, indefinite conscription kills thousands yearly.
- Zimbabwe 2019 fuel protests: 17 killed.
Government Crackdowns and Repression Interpretation
The grim global chorus of regimes singing 'We Are the World' in a hauntingly literal sense reveals that the universal language of power is, lamentably, spoken through the grammar of violence.
Political Assassinations
- From 1997-2023, 55 successful political assassinations recorded by UCDP.
- In 1963, John F. Kennedy assassination by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas.
- Indira Gandhi assassinated on October 31, 1984 by Sikh bodyguards.
- Anwar Sadat killed on October 6, 1981 by Egyptian Islamic Jihad militants.
- Benazir Bhutto assassinated December 27, 2007 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
- Rafael Trujillo assassinated May 30, 1961 in Dominican Republic.
- Rajiv Gandhi killed May 21, 1991 by LTTE suicide bomber.
- Yitzhak Rabin shot dead November 4, 1995 by Yigal Amir in Israel.
- Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assassinated August 15, 1975 in Bangladesh coup.
- Zoran Đinđić assassinated March 12, 2003 in Serbia.
- Melih Gökçek targeted but survived assassination attempt in 1990s Turkey.
- In 1989, 5 Central American leaders assassinated amid civil wars.
- Luis Carrero Blanco killed December 20, 1973 by ETA car bomb in Spain.
- Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq died August 17, 1988 in plane crash suspected assassination Pakistan.
- Ahmad Shah Massoud assassinated September 9, 2001 by Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
- Habyarimana and Ntaryamira killed April 6, 1994 plane crash sparking Rwanda genocide.
- Boris Nemtsov shot February 27, 2015 in Moscow.
- Jo Cox MP murdered June 16, 2016 in UK by far-right extremist.
- Pavel Adamowicz stabbed January 13, 2019 in Poland.
- Fernando Villavicencio killed August 9, 2023 in Ecuador.
- In 2022, 15 politicians assassinated in Mexico amid elections.
- Daphne Caruana Galizia killed October 16, 2017 by car bomb in Malta.
- Marielle Franco shot March 14, 2018 in Brazil.
- From 1993-2020, 25 Honduran politicians assassinated.
- Abdulrashid Ghazi killed July 10, 2007 in Pakistan mosque siege.
- Anna Politkovskaya shot October 7, 2006 in Russia.
- Hariri Rafic assassinated February 14, 2005 by massive bombing in Lebanon.
- Since 2018, 40+ journalists/politicians assassinated in Ukraine pre-invasion.
- In 2023, 12 Brazilian local candidates killed before elections.
- Colosio Luis Donaldo assassinated March 23, 1994 in Mexico.
Political Assassinations Interpretation
The grim ledger of political assassination reveals a stubborn truth: the most direct route to power, or to protest it, has always been a bullet, a bomb, or a blade.
Political Assassings
- Jovenel Moïse assassinated July 7, 2021 in Haiti.
Political Assassings Interpretation
In a country already buckling under the weight of crises, the cold-blooded murder of President Jovenel Moïse in his own home didn't just add to Haiti's tragic history—it became its defining, grim punctuation mark.
Terrorism Incidents and Fatalities
- The Global Terrorism Database recorded 8,312 terrorist attacks worldwide in 2014, the highest annual total since its inception.
- In 2022, terrorism deaths fell by 9% to 6,701 globally, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 48% of all terrorism deaths.
- From 2000 to 2019, Islamist extremist groups were responsible for 50% of all terrorism fatalities worldwide.
- In 2021, the Sahel region saw 2,350 terrorism-related deaths, more than double the number from 2016.
- Boko Haram conducted 1,023 attacks between 2009 and 2020, causing over 35,000 deaths.
- ISIS claimed responsibility for 2,405 attacks in Iraq and Syria from 2014 to 2019.
- In 2017, Afghanistan recorded 3,829 terrorism fatalities, the highest globally that year.
- The Taliban perpetrated 1,889 attacks in 2020, leading to 4,345 deaths.
- Al-Shabaab carried out 1,237 incidents in Somalia from 2010 to 2022.
- Between 1970 and 2020, 61% of terrorist attacks occurred in the Middle East and North Africa.
- In 2023, Burkina Faso had 1,907 terrorism deaths, making it the epicenter of global terrorism.
- JNIM conducted 589 attacks in the Sahel in 2022 alone.
- From 2014-2021, over 100,000 deaths attributed to ISIS globally.
- In 2015, Nigeria saw 3,120 terrorism fatalities, second highest globally.
- ETA Basque separatists killed 829 people in 824 attacks from 1968 to 2010.
- In 2020, the Philippines recorded 271 terrorism incidents.
- PKK conducted 4,500 attacks in Turkey since 1984, causing 7,918 deaths.
- In 2019, Mozambique's Cabo Delgado saw 394 terrorism attacks by IS affiliates.
- From 2004-2013, over 48,000 deaths from terrorism in Iraq.
- In 2022, Mali had 1,198 terrorism deaths.
- Lashkar-e-Taiba responsible for 537 deaths in India since 2000.
- In 2016, 2,988 people died in 2,410 terrorist attacks in Afghanistan.
- ISKP conducted 115 attacks in Afghanistan in 2022.
- From 1970-2017, 120,000 terrorist incidents in GTD database.
- In 2021, Syria had 1,040 terrorism fatalities.
- Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) killed 2,038 in 2022.
- In 2018, global terrorism deaths reached 18,753.
- IRA Provisional wing responsible for 1,778 deaths in Northern Ireland conflict.
- In 2023 Q1, Nigeria recorded 245 terrorism deaths.
- Hamas conducted 17,070 attacks since 1987, per Israeli data.
- Yemen's AQAP caused 3,489 deaths from 2009-2020.
Terrorism Incidents and Fatalities Interpretation
While the global map of political violence has shifted and evolved, the grim reality remains that its toll is measured not by spreadsheets but by lives lost, with sub-Saharan Africa's suffering now tragically marking the current epicenter.
Violent Protests and Riots
- From 2016-2022, 650+ violent protest events in US.
- January 6, 2021 US Capitol riot resulted in 5 deaths and 174 arrests.
- 2020 George Floyd protests saw 25 deaths and $1-2 billion in damages.
- Hong Kong protests 2019-2020 had 10,000 arrests and 2,700+ injured police.
- Chile 2019 estallido social protests caused 36 deaths and 445 eye injuries.
- Belarus 2020 protests led to 30,000+ arrests and 4 protester deaths.
- France Yellow Vests (Gilets Jaunes) 2018-2019: 11,000 arrested, 2,500 injured.
- Lebanon 2019 protests: 1 death, 700 injured in one event.
- Iran 2019 fuel protests: 1,500 killed per Amnesty.
- Colombia 2021 tax reform protests: 80 deaths, 2,000+ injured.
- Sri Lanka 2022 protests: 10 deaths amid economic crisis.
- Kazakhstan January 2022 protests: 238 deaths, 12,000 arrests.
- Ecuador 2019 indigenous protests: 8 deaths, 1,300 injured.
- India 2020-2021 farmers protests: 700+ farmer deaths, 1,000+ injured.
- Myanmar post-coup protests 2021-2023: 3,000+ killed.
- Nigeria #EndSARS 2020: 12 protesters killed at Lekki Toll Gate.
- Bangladesh 2024 quota protests: 200+ deaths.
- Kenya 2024 finance bill protests: 40 deaths.
- In 2022, global riots and protests caused 5,000 fatalities per ACLED.
- US 2020 had 10,600 demonstration events, 570 violent.
- Algeria Hirak protests 2019-2021: 9 deaths, 11,000 arrested.
- Iraq Tishreen 2019 protests: 600 killed, 20,000 injured.
- Peru 2022-2023 protests: 60 deaths post-Castillo ouster.
- Pakistan 2022 PTI protests: 8 deaths.
- South Africa July 2021 riots: 354 deaths, $1.5B damage.
- Greece 2008 riots after police killing: 1 death, widespread destruction.
- UK 2011 riots: 5 deaths, 3,000+ arrests.
- In 2023, 25 countries saw major violent protests per ACLED.
- Chile 2023 constitutional protests: 2 deaths.
Violent Protests and Riots Interpretation
While the world's headlines often fixate on the spectacle of Western unrest, this grim global ledger reveals a sobering truth: the vast majority of violence, death, and state repression occurs not in the chambers of power but on the streets where citizens fight for theirs.
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