More battle-related deaths from state-based conflicts took place in 2022 than in any year since 1984, according to new conflict trend data recently released by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).

The report shows that two wars were the primary contributors to the more than 204,000 battle-related deaths in 2022: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, accounting for 81,500 deaths and the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region accounting for more than 100,000 battle-related deaths.

Non-state conflicts also increased compared to previous years. In 2022, 82 non-state conflicts were recorded, up from 76 in the previous year, resulting in 20,800 battle-related deaths.

Released in June 2023, the PRIO “Conflict Trends: A Global Overview, 1946-2022 report” provides an analysis of the global trends in conflict covering the period 1946 to 2022, using data collected annually by the Uppsala Conflict Data Program at Uppsala University.

Key trends outlined in the report include:

• In 2022, 55 state-based conflicts were recorded in 38 countries, and eight of these conflicts were classified as wars (meaning over 1,000 battle-related deaths were recorded within the calendar year). The wars in Ethiopia and Ukraine were the primary contributors to the more than 204,000 battle-related deaths in 2022.
• There were 82 non-state conflicts in 2022, which represents an increase from the 76 non-state conflicts in 2021. Despite the increase in the number of non-state conflicts, battle-related deaths from such conflicts decreased to just over 20,800 – a decrease of more than 4,000 from the previous year.
• Africa was home to the greatest number of non-state conflicts, followed by the Americas. Mexico remained one of the most violent countries in terms of non-state conflicts, with more than 14,000 battle-related deaths recorded.

Read more from the authors of the report and its findings here. Download a copy of the report here.

The Uppsala conflict data will be published in the July issue of Journal of Peace Research.