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This report presents the findings of global explosive violence patterns in 2024. It constitutes the fourteenth consecutive year of Action on Armed Violence’s (AOAV) Explosive Violence Monitoring Project (EVMP), which records the casualties from explosive weapons use worldwide as reported in English-language media.
In 2024, AOAV recorded 67,026 deaths and injuries as a result of the use of explosive weapons around the world, the highest levels recorded since 2010. With 59,524 civilians among these casualties – 89% of all those reported killed or wounded by explosive weapons globally – 2024 was the most injurious year for civilians since the EVMP began. 41% (24,147) of these civilians were reported killed.
Last year, global incidents of explosive weapons use surged by 29%, alongside a 69% spike in civilian casualties and a 50% rise in civilian fatalities compared to 2023.
AOAV has documented this for over a decade, consistently demonstrating that the threat explosive weapons pose to civilians is exacerbated when used in populated areas. In 2024, 95% of all those reported killed and injured by explosive weapons in populated areas such as towns and cities were civilians. The majority of all global civilian casualties from explosive violence – some 97% – occurred in such populated areas.
Notably, 2024 saw the emergence of new conflicts, in particular Israel’s military operation expanding to Lebanon, as well as the continuation of its operations in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as the escalation of civil war in Sudan, and the ongoing conflict in Myanmar. Israel’s operations in Gaza and Lebanon have been largely responsible for the exceptional increase in harm from explosive weapons worldwide. The conflict in Gaza has also sparked increased explosive violence across the Middle East, as tensions rise throughout the region. Ongoing international and non-international conflicts in Myanmar, Ukraine, Syria, Pakistan, Nigeria and Yemen, also contributed to the high level of incidents and harm. After the relative global downturn in violence in the pandemic years, the world appears to be marked by escalating levels of violence.
The full report is available for download here:Explosive Violence Monitor 2024
Key findings
- In 2024, AOAV recorded 67,026 deaths and injuries by explosive weapons across 9,553 incidents around the world, as reported by English language media.
- 59,524 of the recorded casualties were civilians – 89%. This marks the highest levels of civilian harm recorded since the Explosive Violence Monitoring Project began in 2010.
- Recorded civilian casualties rose by 69% last year, predominantly due to Israel’s military operation in Gaza. Overall, Gaza accounts for 39% of global civilian casualties in 2024.
- AOAV recorded 57,506 civilians killed and injured in populated areas. This represented 97% of globally reported civilian deaths and injuries.
- When explosive weapons were used in populated areas, 95% of those killed and injured were civilians, compared to 31% in other areas.
- The average number of civilians killed per incident rose from 2.2 in 2023 to 2.5 in 2024 – a 14% increase.
- At least 2,932 women were reported among the civilian casualties last year. This marks a 25% increase compared to 2,344 in 2023, and the highest level of recorded harm to women by explosive weapons in AOAV’s records.
- 2024 saw the highest levels of recorded harm to children from explosive weapons since 2017. At least 3,089 children were reported among the civilian casualties, a 12% increase compared to 2,745 in 2023.
- Gaza, Ukraine, Lebanon, Sudan, Myanmar, and Syria saw the highest levels of civilian harm in 2024.
- Manufactured explosive weapons accounted for 90% of civilian casualties in 2024, while improvised explosive devices accounted for 10%.
- Air-launched manufactured explosive weapons were responsible for 54% of global civilian casualties, while ground-launched explosive weapons accounted for 22%.
- Incidents were recorded in 56 countries and territories, 7 countries less than in 2023.