Civilian Deaths in Conflict Surged by 40% Globally in 2024

Civilian deaths in conflict surged by 40 percent worldwide in 2024, according to data released by the UN Human Rights Office. Last year, at least 48,384 individuals were killed, equating to one civilian every 12 minutes. Included in that toll are 502 human rights defenders. Every 14 hours, at least one human rights defender, journalist or trade unionist was killed or disappeared. The increase through 2024 marks the third consecutive year of steep rises in these deaths.

According to the UN Human Rights Office, between 2023 and 2024, the number of women and children killed in armed conflicts quadrupled compared to the two-year period between 2021 and 2022. The vast majority of these civilian deaths occurred in Gaza.

For the period between 2015 and 2024, data is based on conflict situations in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Myanmar, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, State of Palestine, Syrian Arab Republic, Ukraine, Yemen. The group notes that determining the victims’ status is not always possible and that between 2015 and 2022, the proportion of conflict-related deaths with undetermined status fluctuated between four and eight percent.

The data is drawn from verified cases, each corroborated by at least two independent sources. This means actual numbers are likely higher for those who have gone uncounted.