Urban Social Disorder 3.0: A global, city-level event dataset of political mobilization and disorder

The authors present Urban Social Disorder 3.0, a global event dataset covering 186 cities from 1960-2014, containing 13,324 events. The study finds that global urban social disorder increased after the early 2000s, driven largely by Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Contrary to some previous research, the authors find a positive relationship between city population size and the frequency of lethal disorder events, while urban growth rates show no such association. The analysis also suggests that autocratic regimes may be more effective at suppressing lethal urban disorder than democratic ones.

• The Urban Social Disorder 3.0 (USD) dataset comprises 13,324 events across 186 cities between 1960 and 2014, focusing primarily on national capitals and major urban centers with populations exceeding 100,000 in 2014.
• Global urban social disorder followed a trend of increasing frequency from the 1960s to the 1980s, experienced a decline in the 1990s, and rose again after the early 2000s, reaching an average of 26.7 total monthly events and 10.4 lethal monthly events by 2014.
• The post-2000 increase in global urban social disorder was primarily driven by growth in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, while Latin America saw a decline.
• Organized demonstrations are the most common type of urban social disorder globally (29.1%), followed by armed attacks (18.1%), while inter-communal warfare (0.6%) and pro-government demonstrations (1.5%) are the least frequent.
• Analysis of the global sample reveals a positive and significant association between city population size and the rate of urban disorder, although the rate of urban population growth is not associated with the outcome.
• The study suggests a 'global autocratic peace,' indicating that authoritarian regimes are often more effective at discouraging public dissent and avoiding lethal urban social disorder than democratic regimes.
• Lethal urban disorder is strongly linked to ongoing civil conflict, economic shocks, and lower income levels across various regions.

APA

Thomson, H., Bahgat, K., Urdal, H., & Buhaug, H. (n.d.). Urban Social Disorder 3.0: A global, city-level event dataset of political mobilization and disorder. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/35628c8a-1cec-4e9f-ad1e-4cf70431ba4c/Thomson Bahgat Urdal Buhaug 2022 Urban Social Disorder 3 Global City-level Event Dataset of Political Mobilization and Disorder.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Thomson, Henry, Karim Bahgat, Henrik Urdal, and Halvard Buhaug. Urban Social Disorder 3.0: A global, city-level event dataset of political mobilization and disorder. Peace Research Institute Oslo, n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/35628c8a-1cec-4e9f-ad1e-4cf70431ba4c/Thomson Bahgat Urdal Buhaug 2022 Urban Social Disorder 3 Global City-level Event Dataset of Political Mobilization and Disorder.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Thomson |first1=Henry |last2=Bahgat |first2=Karim |last3=Urdal |first3=Henrik |last4=Buhaug |first4=Halvard |title=Urban Social Disorder 3.0: A global, city-level event dataset of political mobilization and disorder |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/35628c8a-1cec-4e9f-ad1e-4cf70431ba4c/Thomson Bahgat Urdal Buhaug 2022 Urban Social Disorder 3 Global City-level Event Dataset of Political Mobilization and Disorder.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{thomsonndurban, author = {Thomson, Henry and Bahgat, Karim and Urdal, Henrik and Buhaug, Halvard}, title = {{Urban Social Disorder 3.0: A global, city-level event dataset of political mobilization and disorder}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/35628c8a-1cec-4e9f-ad1e-4cf70431ba4c/Thomson Bahgat Urdal Buhaug 2022 Urban Social Disorder 3 Global City-level Event Dataset of Political Mobilization and Disorder.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }