Conflicts worldwide by intensity 2005-2023

Despite the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, and the Israel-Hamas war since October 2023, which have come to dominate international news, the overall number of conflicts worldwide decreased since 2013. In 2023, there were 177 instances of violent crisis recorded globally, compared to 22 wars and 21 limited wars.

What is a conflict?

According to the new conflict methodology in Heidelberg, the HIIK understands a political conflict as a positional difference regarding values relevant to a society between at least two involved actors, for example ethnic or religious groups or governments. The conflict must be carried out using observable and interrelated conflict means that lie beyond established regulatory procedures and threaten a core state function or the order of international law, or hold out the prospect to do so.

Regarding the intensity of a political conflict the HIIK distinguishes five levels of intensity: dispute, non-violent crises, violent crises, limited war, and war. These levels of conflict are distinguished by the level of physical violence applied in the course of conflict. The last three are violent conflicts, whereas a dispute is a political conflict carried out completely without resorting to violence; in a non-violent crisis, one of the actors is threatened with violence. Violent conflicts are measured by the instruments for the use of force (use of weapons and use of personnel) and the consequences of the use of force (casualties, refugees and demolition). In 2023, the highest number of wars was recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa.