Millions of people live without government services, under the control of armed groups. The International Committee of the Red Cross reports that over 204 million people globally face this reality. They are in areas where official authorities cannot reach, caught in a world with a dangerous increase in warfare.
Conflict monitors are tracking about 130 armed conflicts worldwide, more than double the number from fifteen years ago. Many are local, but some are high-intensity, causing over 1,000 battle deaths each year.
The human cost is high. Civilian deaths from fighting rose by 40 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year. Humanitarian groups are concerned that international laws protecting civilians are weakening. Those involved in conflicts are using looser interpretations of rules about who can be targeted and about accidental damage, leaving ordinary people to suffer.
This change in rules happens as warfare itself is rapidly changing. New technologies like drones, cyber warfare, and artificial intelligence are changing how wars are fought. These advancements make combat more widespread and deadly, often with terrible results for people in the middle of the fighting.
The most intense fighting is happening in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the African Sahel. In Europe, the war between Russia and Ukraine continues. It started with a full invasion in 2022 and is the biggest conventional military conflict in Europe since World War II.
The Middle East is also a center of violence. The conflict in Gaza continues despite a shaky ceasefire. Tensions also increased between Iran and Israel after Israeli military actions in June 2026, leading to about two weeks of attacks between the two countries, with the US also involved. Yemen is also suffering from a difficult civil war.
In Africa, Sudan is experiencing a very deadly conflict that began in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, eastern provinces face ongoing violence as armed groups fight for control of areas rich in minerals.
Asia is also unstable. Myanmar's civil war continues after a military takeover in 2021. The borders of South Asia are more dangerous too, with increased militant activity and military clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan. India and Pakistan also had a major military confrontation in 2026, the worst in decades between the two nuclear-armed nations.
While new conflicts start, old ones continue. Researchers say at least 20 armed conflicts have lasted over twenty years. In these places, generations have grown up knowing only war.