This week Save the Children launched its new report Stop the War on Children: The Forgotten Ones. The report is based on PRIO's annual mapping of children in armed conflict.
Our data found that in 2021, 449 million children - more than 1 of 6 - were living in a conflict zone. For the first time since 2013, the overall number of children living in conflict zones seems to have decreased slightly. However, at the same time conflict intensity is on the rise.
But the latest figures reflect the state of the world prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This means that next year's update will likely see an increase again in the number of children affected, at least in Europe.
Last year, Africa was the region with the highest total number of children living in a conflict zone (180 million), followed by Asia (152 million). The Middle East continues to have the highest number of children living in conflict zones (31 per cent of children in the region).
Also read more about PRIO's background analysis and methodology in the blog post and policy brief.
