By Niamh Gillen
The global impact of explosive weapons over the past decade reveals a stark hierarchy in lethality, with certain methods of attack proving far more devastating than others. Between 2015 and 2024, a total of 112,399 deaths attributed to explosive weapons were reported in English-language media. Within this grim tally, air strikes emerged as the most lethal form of attack, accounting for 45% of all deaths—a staggering 50,866 lives lost.
This dominance underscores the overwhelming force of aerial bombardment in modern conflicts, often conducted with precision-guided munitions yet still resulting in extensive civilian harm.
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), including roadside bombs and car bombs, rank as the second deadliest category, responsible for 23,536 deaths (21%). Unlike air strikes, which are often associated with state militaries, IEDs are frequently employed by non-state actors and insurgent groups, reflecting their persistent role in asymmetric warfare. Their continued prominence highlights the adaptability and resilience of insurgent tactics, despite extensive countermeasures implemented globally.
Beyond these two dominant categories, the hierarchy of explosive violence begins to fragment. Non-specific shelling accounts for 8.3% of deaths (9,420 killed), followed by missiles (6%, 6,555 killed) and multiple explosive weapons (5.4%, 6,101 killed). These categories reflect the unpredictable nature of conflicts where indiscriminate attacks are often deployed against urban centres, compounding civilian suffering. Artillery shelling, a weapon of prolonged warfare, contributes 3.3% of deaths (3,724 killed), further illustrating the destructive role of conventional battlefield weaponry.
Lower down the hierarchy, individual explosive weapon types contribute a smaller yet still significant share to the overall toll. Rockets, air-dropped bombs, mortars, and unexploded ordnance (UXO) each account for approximately 2% of deaths, with figures ranging from 2,334 (rockets) to 2,113 (UXO). The presence of UXO in these statistics is a reminder of the long-term consequences of explosive violence, as munitions that fail to detonate on impact continue to claim lives years after conflicts end.
At the lowest end of the scale, landmines, grenades, stockpile explosions, RPGs, and tank shelling collectively account for a fraction of overall deaths. Landmines, often considered a relic of past conflicts, still accounted for 1.2% of reported deaths (1,385 killed), while grenades were responsible for 1% (1,187 killed). The catastrophic impact of stockpile explosions, though infrequent, resulted in 366 deaths (0.3%), underscoring the dangers of improperly managed munitions depots. Meanwhile, RPGs and tank shells represent an even smaller share, at just 0.2% each.
This hierarchy of explosive weapons use reflects not only the evolving nature of warfare but also the shifting priorities of military and non-state actors. Air power remains the dominant force, shaping the battlefield and dictating the scale of destruction. The persistent presence of IEDs reveals the enduring strategies of insurgent warfare, while the widespread impact of artillery, missiles, and rockets underscores the devastating consequences of long-range bombardments. At the lower end, the continued toll of UXO and landmines demonstrates that explosive violence extends well beyond active conflicts, leaving behind a legacy of harm that lingers for years.
Dr Iain Overton, Executive Director of Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), remarked on these findings: “What this data makes clear is the brutal calculus of modern warfare—where the means of destruction are stratified in a grim hierarchy, with air strikes and IEDs standing as the most lethal tools of war. It is not just about the numbers but about the patterns of harm these weapons inflict on civilians, shaping the very nature of conflict zones.”
Understanding these hierarchies is crucial for shaping policy responses, improving mitigation efforts, and advocating for stronger international controls on explosive weapon use. As patterns of harm become clearer, efforts to reduce civilian casualties must address not only the weapons that dominate the battlefield but also those that continue to threaten lives long after the guns fall silent.
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Explosive Weapons Use (2015-2024)
Total deaths – 112,399
- Air strikes – 45% (50,866 killed)
- IEDs (Non-specific IEDs, roadside bombs, car bombs) – 21% (23,536 killed)
- Non-specific shelling – 8.3% (9,420 killed)
- Missiles – 6% (6,555 killed)
- Multiple explosive weapons – 5.4% (6,101 killed)
- Artillery shelling – 3.3% (3,724 killed)
- Rockets – 2% (2,334 killed)
- Air-dropped bombs – 2% (2,256 killed)
- Mortars – 2% (2,157 killed)
- Unexploded ordnance (UXO) – 2% (2,113 killed)
- Landmines (including standard landmines, anti-vehicle mines, and anti-personnel mines) – 1.2% (1,385 killed)
- Grenades – 1% (1,187 killed)
- Stockpile explosions – 0.3% (366 killed)
- Rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) – 0.2% (206 killed)
- Tank shelling – 0.2% (193 killed)