Children Affected by Armed Conflict, 1990–2019

The report finds that 1.61 billion children lived in conflict-affected countries in 2019, with 426 million residing in specific conflict zones (within 50 km of fighting). Africa has the highest absolute number of affected children, while the Middle East has the highest proportional share. The number of children in conflict zones has generally increased since the 1990s, with millions exposed to continuous conflict throughout their childhood.

• In 2019, approximately 1.61 billion children, representing 69% of the global child population, lived in conflict-affected countries. This is an increase of nearly 100 million from 2018, driven by low-level conflict events in countries including South Africa, Honduras, Liberia, and Peru.
• About 426 million children, or more than one in six worldwide, lived in 'conflict zones' in 2019, defined as areas within 50 km of a conflict event. This figure represents a 2% increase from 2018 and a more than 50% increase from the 200–250 million estimated in the early- and mid-1990s.
• Regional data for 2019 shows that Africa had the highest absolute number of children in conflict zones at 179 million (roughly 30% of the global total). However, the Middle East had the highest proportional share, with approximately 38.6% of its children living in conflict zones.
• A significant number of children experience prolonged exposure to violence; in 2019, over 71 million children aged 0–5 lived in areas with conflict for their entire lives, and approximately 16 million children lived in areas with 18 consecutive years of conflict.
• Conflict intensity varies, but in 2019, 81 million children (3.5% of the global child population) lived in zones with more than 25 battle deaths. Approximately 9 million children lived within 50 km of the highest intensity areas (1,000 or more battle deaths), a number that doubled since 2018 largely due to drug wars in Mexico.
• The report identifies Afghanistan, Syria, and Somalia as the countries with the highest conflict intensity in 2019. Trends in the number of children living in areas with over 1,000 battle deaths are noted to be highly correlated with the conflict in Syria.

APA

Østby, G., Rustad, S. A., & Tollefsen, A. F. (2020). Children Affected by Armed Conflict, 1990–2019. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/b54b2f6f-84d9-4745-abbe-5bc07fba2c4d/Ostby Rustad and Tollefsen - Children Affected by Armed Conflict 1990-2019 - Conflict Trends 6-2020.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Østby, Gudrun, Siri Aas Rustad, and Andreas Forø Tollefsen. Children Affected by Armed Conflict, 1990–2019. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2020. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/b54b2f6f-84d9-4745-abbe-5bc07fba2c4d/Ostby Rustad and Tollefsen - Children Affected by Armed Conflict 1990-2019 - Conflict Trends 6-2020.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Østby |first1=Gudrun |last2=Rustad |first2=Siri Aas |last3=Tollefsen |first3=Andreas Forø |title=Children Affected by Armed Conflict, 1990–2019 |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=June 2020 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/b54b2f6f-84d9-4745-abbe-5bc07fba2c4d/Ostby Rustad and Tollefsen - Children Affected by Armed Conflict 1990-2019 - Conflict Trends 6-2020.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stby2020children, author = {Østby, Gudrun and Rustad, Siri Aas and Tollefsen, Andreas Forø}, title = {{Children Affected by Armed Conflict, 1990–2019}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2020}, month = jun, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/b54b2f6f-84d9-4745-abbe-5bc07fba2c4d/Ostby Rustad and Tollefsen - Children Affected by Armed Conflict 1990-2019 - Conflict Trends 6-2020.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }