World Map
of Conflict

No – and on purpose

The World Map of Conflict uses two different UCDP datasets: the UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset for the color-coded world map on the homepage, and the UCDP Candidate Dataset to display near real-time casualty overviews on individual country pages. The UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset is a fully verified annual dataset designed to provide consistent and comparable information on armed conflicts across countries and over time. The UCDP Candidate Dataset is updated regularly and provides the most recent reported conflict events and casualty estimates from around the world. These figures represent preliminary reports and have not yet undergone the full verification process used for UCDP’s annual datasets.

This differs from systems such as ACLED, which primarily focus on near real-time conflict monitoring. ACLED captures a broader range of rapidly reported events and updates them frequently, making it particularly useful for tracking ongoing developments as they unfold. UCDP, by contrast, applies stricter verification and coding standards designed to ensure long-term consistency and comparability across countries and decades.

As a result, the World Map of Conflict aims to balance timely updates with methodological reliability: recent developments are reflected through the UCDP Candidate Dataset, while the fully verified annual datasets provide a stable foundation for historical analysis and cross-country comparison.

An estimated 204.710 people died in organised violence in 2024. Ukraine was the deadliest single conflict (~70,000 battle deaths), followed by Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon (~26,000 deaths, 94% civilian or unknown identity).

Today’s conflict levels are comparable to the early 1990s following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Since 2010, coinciding with the Arab Spring, the number of state-based conflicts has nearly doubled and total deaths have increased fivefold. 2024 set a historic record for active conflicts — though total fatalities were slightly lower than the peak year of 2022, making it the fourth most violent year since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The World Map of Conflict is built on data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), widely regarded as the world’s leading source on organised violence. Its definitions of armed conflict have become the global standard for how conflicts are systematically categorised and analysed. Data collection began in 1979, and in the mid-1980s, this was formalised under the name Conflict Data Project. It remains the longest-running active effort dedicated to collecting and maintaining conflict data.

The Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) uses a systematic and transparent methodology to collect data on organized violence worldwide. Information is gathered from publicly available sources including international and local media, NGOs, research reports, and official documents. Researchers manually verify and code individual violent events based on consistent definitions regarding actors, location, timing, and fatalities. UCDP classifies violence into three main categories — state-based conflict, non-state conflict, and one-sided violence against civilians — allowing conflicts to be compared consistently across countries and over time. Because UCDP applies strict verification standards and only includes publicly documented events, its casualty estimates are generally considered conservative.  (UCDP Methodology Details)

The UCDP differs from resources such as ACLED, Human Rights Watch, and the Global Conflict Tracker because it prioritizes long-term consistency and strict verification over speed. While ACLED focuses on near real-time event monitoring, Human Rights Watch documents specific human rights abuses, and the Global Conflict Tracker provides accessible geopolitical overviews, UCDP is designed as a standardized academic dataset that allows conflicts to be compared globally across countries and decades. As a result, UCDP casualty estimates are often more conservative but are considered highly reliable for historical analysis.

Because the World Map of Conflict compares 193 countries over an extended historical period in order to identify broader geopolitical patterns and narratives, UCDP provides an especially suitable foundation. Combined with curated documentary films that add historical depth and human context, it offers a powerful framework for understanding the evolution and dynamics of global conflict.

Today, we find ourselves in an era of unparalleled global interconnectivity. Advances in communication, the internet, and transportation have erased geographical boundaries, connecting even the remotest corners of the earth in a day’s journey. Yet, this closeness has not brought universal harmony. Instead, humanity appears as divided now as it has ever been.

Most will agree that we live in dangerous times. Some historians draw parallels with the uneasy atmosphere of the Weimar Republic leading up to World War II. International tensions are on the rise, geopolitical dynamics shift continuously, and political instability is palpable. The emergence of artificial intelligence further threatens to increase the gap between the rich and poor. With the added risks of nuclear warfare and an impending ecological crisis, it’s evident that the responsibility of navigating these challenges doesn’t solely lie with our leaders. The responsibility is a collective one, shared by all of us.

The World Map of Conflict is designed to guide us through these turbulent times. Grasping the facts and backgrounds of conflicts, as well as understanding the rationale and emotions driving them, is essential in our pursuit of a safer world. Throughout history, cultures and nations have often clashed with devastating intensity, leading to unspeakable acts of brutality, including genocide. In just the past 150 years, hundreds of millions have tragically perished due to wars and conflicts, resulting in the redrawing of maps and the relocation of entire populations. Such profound traumas leave behind a legacy of pain and grievance, potentially clouding our collective vision for the future.

Yet, in an era pressured by threats of nuclear conflict and dominated by ecological decline, bridging our differences becomes paramount. It is imperative now, more than ever, to foster understanding, acknowledge past harms, and embrace diverse perspectives. The World Map of Conflict serves as an invaluable resource in improving our understanding, propelling us toward a brighter and more secure future for all.

By color-coding the conflict intensity per country for a given year, the World Map Of Conflict aims to visualize a country’s geopolitical positioning. When a country is involved in violent conflict, it reveals several aspects about the state of that nation and the global context in which it operates.

• -It signal serious underlying tensions or conflicts over resources, ideologies, territories, or power dynamics.
• -War reflects a failure in diplomacy or peaceful negotiation between parties.
• -It  indicates the socio-political climate within the country, which may include nationalism, racism, fundamentalism, militarism, or domestic unrest due to inequality, injustice, or lack of freedom.
• -the way a country conducts itself in war reveals something about its leadership, governance, military capabilities, and the values it holds. War has profound human, economic, environmental, and political consequences, and its occurrence often prompts international concern and response.

The color-coded visualizations in the World Map Of Conflict offer an immediate insight into a country’s political mindset and priorities. By clicking on a country, the raw facts of the conflict are revealed, opening a window to explore the country’s mindset and the narratives at play. This exploration can be facilitated through the use of UCDP analysis, documentary films, debates, interviews, and other related materials.

The World Conflict Map offers unrivaled conflict analysis. The primary goal of the map is to make conflict data more accessible and understandable to a broad audience by turning UDPC’s raw research data into a visual narrative. This is achieved using mapping, documentary films, found footage, debating programs, interviews, and other visual content. While the raw data, including a conflict analysis for each country, is already mapped with each annual publication, most of the documentary and related content will be added throughout the year. The integration of documentary films, in particular, adds significant value to the World Conflict Map:

• Contextual Understanding: Documentary films can offer detailed insights into the historical, political, cultural, and social aspects of a conflict, giving viewers a more comprehensive understanding of the situation.

• Humanizing Data: While maps and data visualizations can illustrate conflict locations and statistics, documentaries provide human faces and voices to those numbers, creating a more emotional connection to the information.

• Enhanced Engagement: Through compelling storytelling and visual imagery, documentaries can capture viewers’ attention and interest in a way that raw data alone might not, making the learning experience more engaging and immersive.

• Expert Analysis: Documentaries often feature interviews and commentary from experts, activists, and those directly affected by the conflicts. This expert analysis can add depth and nuance to the understanding of complex issues.

• Cross-Media Integration: Incorporating documentary films into the map creates a multi-media experience that caters to different learning styles and preferences, reaching a wider audience.

• Educational Opportunities: For educators and students, the inclusion of documentaries can turn the map into a multifaceted educational tool that fosters critical thinking and encourages discussions on global issues.

• Real-World Connection: Documentaries showcase real-life examples and consequences of conflicts, bridging the gap between abstract data and tangible, on-the-ground realities.

By including documentaries, the World Conflict Map transcends a static data repository to become a dynamic and interactive platform that educates, informs, and engages users on a profound level.

One of the major factors influencing a country’s readiness, or even eagerness, to address its issues through violent conflict is its historical experience with war.

A nation with a long-standing tradition of military engagement may perceive warfare as a viable or even preferred solution to disputes. Conversely, nations that have endured the severe consequences of conflict may be more cautious in resorting to arms.

Understanding these dynamics requires a nuanced examination of cultural, political, and social factors, such as military traditions, political leadership, economic conditions, and public sentiment. 

To help people better understand of how these elements influence a nation’s inclination to engage in warfare, a future release of the map will include an interactive timeline. This feature will trace the ebb and flow of conflicts all the way back to World War II, offering users a historical perspective that sheds light on the complex interplay of factors that lead to war.

Please read the call for support below. To update and develop the map, your support is crucial. Your contribution will enable us to enhance features, provide more detailed information, and reach a wider audience. Together, we can make this map an invaluable resource for all who use it.