NEW YORK, 28 December 2024 – The impact of armed conflicts on
children around the world reached devastating and likely record levels in
2024, according to a review by UNICEF of the latest available data and
prevailing global trends.
More children than ever are estimated to be either living in conflict zones
or forcibly displaced due to conflict and violence. A record number of
children affected by conflict are having their rights violated, including
being killed and injured [1] , out of school, missing life-saving vaccines, and
being critically malnourished. The number is only expected to grow.
Conflict drives approximately 80 per cent of all humanitarian needs
around the world [2] , disrupting access to essentials, including safe water,
food and healthcare.
Over 473 million children—more than one in six globally—now live in
areas affected by conflict [3] , with the world experiencing the highest
number of conflicts since World War II [4] . The percentage of the world’s
children living in conflict zones has doubled—from around 10 per cent in
the 1990s to almost 19 per cent today. [5]
By the end of 2023, 47.2 million children had been displaced due to
conflict and violence [6] , with trends in 2024 indicating additional
displacement due to the intensification of conflicts, including in Haiti,
Lebanon, Myanmar, the State of Palestine, and Sudan. Children account
for 30 per cent of the global population, yet on average account for
roughly 40 per cent of refugee populations and 49 per cent of internally
displaced people. [7] In countries affected by conflict, on average over a
third of the population is poor (34.8 per cent) compared to just over 10
per cent in non-conflict-affected countries [8] .
“By almost every measure, 2024 has been one of the worst years on
record for children in conflict in UNICEF’s history—both in terms of the
number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives,” said
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “A child growing up in a
conflict zone is far more likely to be out of school, malnourished, or
forced from their home—too often repeatedly—compared to a child living
in places of peace. This must not be the new normal. We cannot allow a
generation of children to become collateral damage to the world’s
unchecked wars.”
In the latest available data, from 2023, the United Nations verified a
record 32,990 grave violations against 22,557 children [9] —the highest
number since Security Council-mandated monitoring began. With the
overall upward trend in the number of grave violations—for example,
thousands of children have been killed and injured in Gaza, and in
Ukraine, the UN verified more child casualties during the first 9 months
of 2024 than during all of 2023 [10] —this year is likely to see another
increase.
The situation for women and girls is particularly concerning, with
widespread reports of rape and sexual violence in conflict settings. In
Haiti, so far this year, there has been a 1,000 per cent increase in
reported incidents of sexual violence against children. [11] In situations of
armed conflict, children with disabilities also tend to be
disproportionately exposed to violence and rights violations.
Education has been severely disrupted in conflict zones. More than 52
million children in countries affected by conflict are estimated to be out
of school. Children in the Gaza Strip, and a significant portion of children in Sudan, have missed out on more than a year of school, while in
countries such as Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and
Syria, schools have been damaged, destroyed or repurposed, leaving
millions of children without access to learning. The destruction of
educational infrastructure and insecurity near schools have exacerbated
an already dire situation for children’s education in these regions.
Malnutrition among children in conflict zones has also risen to alarming
levels, as conflict and armed violence continue to be the primary drivers
of hunger in numerous hotspots, disrupting food systems, displacing
populations, and obstructing humanitarian access. For example, in
Sudan, famine conditions were determined in North Darfur, the first
famine determination since 2017. In 2024, more than half a million
people in five conflict-affected countries are estimated to be living in
IPC* Phase 5 conditions, the most extreme food insecurity situations. [12]
Conflicts are also having devastating effect on children’s access to
critical healthcare. Around forty per cent of un- and under-vaccinated
children live in countries that are either partially or entirely affected by
conflict. [13] These children are often the most vulnerable to disease
outbreaks like measles and polio, because of disruptions and lack of
access to security, nutrition, and health services.
The impact on children’s mental health is also huge. Exposure to
violence, destruction and loss of loved ones can manifest in children
through reactions such as depression, nightmares and difficulty
sleeping, aggressive or withdrawn behaviour, sadness and fear, among
others.
2024 has become the deadliest on record for humanitarian personnel,
with the recorded deaths of 281 aid workers globally, surpassing
previous records. [14]
“Children in war zones face a daily struggle for survival that deprives
them of a childhood,” said Russell. “Their schools are bombed, homes
destroyed, and families torn apart. They lose not only their safety and
access to basic life-sustaining necessities, but also their chance to play,
to learn, and to simply be children. The world is failing these children. As
we look towards 2025, we must do more to turn the tide and save and
improve the lives of children. “
UNICEF is calling for all parties to conflict, and for those with influence
over them, to take decisive action to end the suffering of children, to
ensure their rights are upheld, and to adhere to their obligations under
international humanitarian law.
[1] Secretary-General Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict
[2] The World Bank, World Bank Group Strategy for Fragility, Conflict, and
Violence 2020–2025, World Bank, February 2020
[3] PRIO
[4] Global Peace Index
[5] PRIO
[6] https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-migration-and-
displacement/displacement/
[7] UNHCR Global Trends Report
[8] https://www.undp.org/libya/press-releases/11-billion-people-live-
multidimensional-poverty-nearly-half-billion-these-live-conflict-settings
[9] https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/2024/06/2023-alarming-
levels-of-violence-inflicted-on-children-in-situation-of-armed-conflict