Trends in State-Based Armed Conflict, 1946–2022

In 2022, there were more battle-related deaths from state-based conflicts than in any year since 1984. While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominated news headlines, it was the war in Ethiopia that was the most deadly. With more than 100,000 fatalities, the war in Ethiopia alone accounts for nearly half of all battle-related deaths during 2022. We’ve also seen a shift in the conflict landscape; where previously Yemen, Afghanistan, and Syria were the conflicts with the highest numbers of battle-related deaths, the wars in Ethiopia and Ukraine have become the world’s most violent conflicts.