The Deadliest Conflicts Across the Globe in 2023

More people died in deadly conflicts across the globe in 2023 than in any of the prior four years, according to the latest available data.

The project is an effort to collect real-time data on “all reported political violence and protest events around the world.” The data is publicly available and is updated regularly. It reflects lives lost in a number of scenarios, with battles, violence against civilians, remote explosions and riots among the deadliest categories.

Approximately half of all fatalities tracked by ACLED were in battles, which claimed more than 82,500 lives in 2023. Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine claimed a large portion of deaths in battle – nearly 20,000 – but battles in Myanmar (10,900 deaths), Sudan (9,800), Somalia (6,400) and Burkina Faso (4,700) were also very deadly throughout the year. A battle is defined by ACLED as “a violent interaction between two politically organized armed groups at a particular time and location.”

Explosions and instances of remote violence made up nearly 30% of the year’s death toll, with the Palestinian territories, and particularly Gaza, seeing the largest share of fatalities of this type. An estimated 20,000 people were killed in air or drone strikes in the Gaza Strip over the course of the year, not including militants killed in battles. Remote violence as defined by ACLED includes attacks with bombs, improvised explosives, mortars and missiles that are not tied to specific battles.

Of all violent conflict deaths in 2023, 1 in 5 were instances of violence against civilians, defined as when “an organized armed group deliberately inflicts violence upon unarmed non-combatants.” Violence against civilians was particularly prevalent in Western Africa (6,800) and in countries like Mexico (5,700) and Brazil (3,700).

These are the 10 deadliest countries and territories in conflict in 2023, meaning they had the highest death tolls attributable to conflict according to data collected by ACLED. Overall tallies were gathered by U.S. News through the project’s public dashboard on Jan. 17, while tallies regarding specific events, days or actors come from a detailed dataset that was obtained Jan. 10, 2024.

Estimated death toll: 6,200

In Syria, conflict continues between the Syrian government and anti-government rebel groups. Analysis by ACLED ranked Syria as one of seven countries with conflict of “extreme severity,” despite the country technically being in a “post-war” phase. ACLED notes that the “prevalence and persistence of armed groups in post-war states is a key feature of modern conflict,” and that Syria is an example of how communities do not necessarily experience peace when wars end.

Estimated death toll: 7,000

Battles and instances of violence against civilians claimed the vast majority of lives in Brazil in 2023. In August, global rights group Amnesty International expressed concern about human rights violations and “lethal police operations” tied to the country’s crackdown on drug trafficking. Many deadly conflicts in the country involved unidentified gangs and police militia. ACLED acknowledges it can be challenging to quantify the “complex nature of Brazil’s conflict landscape.”

Estimated death toll: 7,200

The majority of lives lost to conflict in Mexico in 2023 were from events between non-state militia – such as cartels – and civilians, which took around 5,600 lives. Analysis by ACLED ranked Mexico as having conflict of “extreme severity,” with conditions worsening between 2018 and 2022. Six of the 32 states in Mexico are designated as “Do Not Travel” regions by the U.S. State Department: Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas.

Estimated death toll: 8,400

Islamist insurgent group al-Shabab was involved in the deaths of more than 7,300 people in Somalia over the course of the year, according to ACLED. While the group began fighting the government in 2006, conflict escalated after a severe drought in 2022 caused widespread famine. In September of 2023, an explosive placed by al-Shabab detonated, spurring fighting between al-Shabab and Ethiopian forces that killed at least 300 in the country’s deadliest event that year. Al-Shabab is named as a primary actor in five other instances of violence that each killed more than 100 people. Violent crime is common throughout Somalia, pirates frequent its coast off the Horn of Africa, and medical facilities, where they exist, have limited capacity.

Estimated death toll: 8,500

Burkina Faso faced one of the most active militancy campaigns in West Africa in 2023, a report by ACLED found. Islamic militant groups and affiliates of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, such as Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), are active in the majority of the country’s regions. Conflicts involving both JNIM and the military forces of Burkina Faso are linked to more than 3,600 deaths. In late November, hundreds died in clashes between state security forces and rebels near the country’s border with Mali. More than 2 million people in Burkina Faso are displaced due to “violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.”

Estimated death toll: 8,800

In 2023, armed groups, including gangs of so-called “bandits” and the Islamic State in the West African Province (ISWAP), a “breakout faction of Boko Haram,” continued to plague Nigeria with attacks and violence, according to Human Rights Watch. The country’s federal elections in 2023 prompted several violent incidents, though the country saw less violence than in elections in 2015 and 2019.

Estimated death toll: 13,100

In Sudan, the military and the Rapid Support Forces, a government paramilitary group, were both involved in events in which approximately 8,200 people were killed in 2023. In April, the U.S. evacuated its embassy in Khartoum, the capital. Fighting escalated between two warring generals seeking to gain control of Sudan after a military coup in 2021 ousted the country’s prime minister. Most recently, the country has been in a nine-month war, displacing millions and pushing the country toward famine. The International Criminal Court is investigating alleged war crimes and violence against ethnic groups in the country. The U.N. has said its efforts to provide aid have been hindered by a lack of support, safety and resources.

Estimated death toll: 15,800

A military coup in 2021 led to widespread armed conflict and civil unrest in this Southeast Asian country. Analysis by ACLED ranked Myanmar as having conflict of “extreme severity,” and the country is on the U.S. State Department’s “Do Not Travel” list. ACLED acknowledges challenges tracking conflict events in the country, which involve hundreds of “non-state armed groups” and several “ethnic-based rebel organizations” fighting against a military junta.

Estimated death toll: 22,600

In October 2023, the militant Palestinian group Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people in the country and taking about 200 hostage. Israel then responded with a massive air assault and land invasion of the Gaza Strip, killing more than 20,000 Palestinians by the end of the year. Deadly violence also broke out in the occupied West Bank. Some of the deadliest days of the fighting last year were in December, when a series of Israeli airstrikes killed hundreds across Gaza.

Estimated death toll: 30,700

Nearly 1 in 5 of the world’s total conflict fatalities occurred in Ukraine in 2023. As Russia’s invasion continued, the vast majority of fatalities in Ukraine were due to battles and instances of remote violence, which include drone strikes, missile attacks and explosives. Analysis by U.S. News of ACLED data shows that the deadliest single day in the fighting was Nov. 15, with 663 fatalities. The deaths were largely caused by a clash near Novoprokopivka, in southern Ukraine, which killed nearly 600 Russian soldiers. However, the deadliest battle occurred in January 2023, when at least 600 Russian servicemen died in a clash in Bakhmut, a city in Eastern Ukraine that is now occupied by Russian forces.