The world experienced a historic surge in armed conflicts in 2024, marking the highest number since 1946, according to a new report by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), released on Wednesday.

The study highlights a troubling trend, surpassing the previous record set just a year earlier.

A total of 61 armed conflicts were recorded across 36 countries in 2024, with several nations experiencing multiple simultaneous conflicts. This marks an increase from 59 conflicts in 34 countries in 2023, according to data compiled in collaboration with Sweden’s Uppsala University.

"Not Just a Peak, But a Structural Shift"

“This is not just a peak, but rather a structural change,” said Siri Aas Rustad, lead author of the report. “The world is now more violent and divided than it was ten years ago.”

Africa the Most Affected Region

Africa remains the most impacted continent, with 28 state-level conflicts—defined as involving at least one government party—followed by Asia (17), the Middle East (10), Europe (3), and the Americas (2). Alarmingly, more than half of the affected countries are grappling with at least two concurrent conflicts.

Casualties Stable but Alarmingly High

The death toll from conflict-related violence remained relatively stable compared to 2023, with an estimated 129,000 deaths. This makes 2024 the fourth deadliest year since the end of the Cold War in 1989.

The most lethal conflicts were in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, and Ethiopia’s Tigray region, which together accounted for a large portion of the global casualties.

Global Engagement Urged Amid Rising Instability

Commenting on the findings, Rustad emphasized the risks of geopolitical disengagement:

“This is not the time for the United States—or any global power—to turn inward and abandon international engagement. Isolationism in the face of rising global violence would be a grave mistake with lasting humanitarian consequences.”

She warned that withdrawing from global responsibilities would erode the very stability established after World War II, particularly the post-1945 international order built with substantial American involvement.