An estimated 520 million children worldwide lived in conflict zones in 2024, an increase of 47 million from the previous year and the highest number since 2005, according to a report published by international child protection organization Save the Children. According to the report, this means that one in five children in the world grew up or lived in an area where there was armed conflict in 2024.
The report also notes that 41,763 “grave violations against children” were recorded last year alone – a 30 percent increase compared to 2023, making it the highest number ever recorded. These violations include killings, injuries, recruitment of children into armed forces, attacks on schools and hospitals, and hostage-taking.
More than half of the incidents were recorded in four main regions of the world: the occupied Palestinian territories, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Somalia.
In total, 61 active armed conflicts were identified in different countries around the world during 2024 – another record that marks the highest number of conflicts since 1946.
The chief executive of the German branch of Save the Children, Florian Westphal, has called for immediate political action to protect children living in conflict zones.
"At a time when military buildups are increasing around the world, protecting children should be at the center of security policies. It is scandalous that governments are spending more on weapons than on protecting children living under the threat of war," Westphal declared.
The report's findings are based on data collected by the Oslo-based Peace Research Institute (PRIO) and United Nations reports.
According to the definition used in the study, a conflict zone is defined as a 50-kilometer area within which at least one “conflict incident” occurred during the relevant year.
