Trends in Armed Conflict, 1946–2017
Attachments
Download document Dupuy, Kendra & Siri Aas Rustad (2018) Trends in Armed Conflict, 1946–2017, Conflict Trends, 5. Oslo: PRIO.
2017 was one of the most violent years since the end of the Cold War. While violence levels decreased slightly from the all-time high of 2016, non-state conflicts and internationalized intrastate conflicts continue to challenge the international community’s ability to achieve global peace.
Brief Points
The number of state-based armed conflicts in the world declined slightly from 53 in 2016 to 49 in 2017, with the Islamic State active in 31% of them.
The number of non-state conflicts increased from 62 in 2016 to 82 in 2017.
There was a significant decline in conflict casualties in 2017. 22% fewer people died in 2017 as a direct result of conflict, and 32% fewer than in 2014. Syria is still the deadliest conflict in the world. One third of all casualties in state-based conflicts in 2017 were in Syria.
Internationalized conflicts and nonstate conflicts continue to represent major threats to reductions in violence.