CONFLICT TRENDS 2017

The report finds that while the number of state-based armed conflicts and total casualties declined in 2017, non-state conflicts increased significantly. Syria remained the deadliest conflict, and the Islamic State (IS) was involved in 31% of all conflicts. The authors note a long-term general decline in warfare since the 1950s, though they warn that internationalized intrastate conflicts and religious extremism continue to pose major threats to global peace.

• State-based armed conflicts decreased slightly from 53 in 2016 to 49 in 2017, with 34 countries experiencing conflict in their territories. Only one conflict was a dispute between two countries: India and Pakistan over Kashmir.
• Conflict casualties saw a significant decline in 2017, with nearly 69,000 people killed as a direct consequence of state-based armed conflicts. This is a 22% decrease from 2016 and a 32% decrease from 2014, primarily driven by reduced violence in Syria.
• Syria remained the deadliest conflict globally in 2017, accounting for 29% of the world's conflict-related deaths, although this was the lowest fatality count for the country since 2011.
• Non-state conflicts increased dramatically from 62 in 2016 to 82 in 2017, with deaths rising from nearly 10,000 to 13,662. The most lethal non-state conflicts occurred in Syria and the Central African Republic.
• The Islamic State (IS) was a central driver of conflict in 2017, involved in 16 conflicts (31% of the total) across 15 countries. IS was also responsible for approximately 35% of all one-sided violence deaths in 2017.
• Intrastate conflicts are increasingly internationalized; in 2017, external states contributed troops to 19 of the 48 intrastate conflicts (40%). The United States was the most involved country, with troops in seven such conflicts involving Islamist extremist groups.
• Long-term trends since 1946 show a decline in colonial and interstate conflicts, with internal state conflicts becoming predominant. While there have been recent up-surges, the general pattern of battle casualties since the 1950s is one of decline.

APA

Dupuy, K., & Rustad, S. A. (2018). CONFLICT TRENDS 2017. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1dce3b35-6fa7-43d9-aaa8-d4efe4bcbd36/Dupuy Rustad- Trends in Armed Conflict 1946-2017 Conflict Trends 5-2018.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Dupuy, Kendra, and Siri Aas Rustad. CONFLICT TRENDS 2017. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2018. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1dce3b35-6fa7-43d9-aaa8-d4efe4bcbd36/Dupuy Rustad- Trends in Armed Conflict 1946-2017 Conflict Trends 5-2018.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dupuy |first1=Kendra |last2=Rustad |first2=Siri Aas |title=CONFLICT TRENDS 2017 |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=May 2018 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1dce3b35-6fa7-43d9-aaa8-d4efe4bcbd36/Dupuy Rustad- Trends in Armed Conflict 1946-2017 Conflict Trends 5-2018.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dupuy2018conflict, author = {Dupuy, Kendra and Rustad, Siri Aas}, title = {{CONFLICT TRENDS 2017}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2018}, month = may, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/1dce3b35-6fa7-43d9-aaa8-d4efe4bcbd36/Dupuy Rustad- Trends in Armed Conflict 1946-2017 Conflict Trends 5-2018.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }