List of ongoing armed conflicts
The following is a list of ongoing armed conflicts that are taking place around the world.
List guidelines
This list of ongoing armed conflicts identifies present-day conflicts and the death toll associated with each conflict. The guidelines of inclusion are as the following:- Armed conflicts consists in the use of armed force between two or more organized armed groups, governmental or non-governmental alike. Interstate, intrastate and non-state armed conflicts are listed.
- Fatality figures include battle-related deaths as well as civilians intentionally targeted by the parties to an armed conflict. Only direct deaths resulting from violence are included for the current and past year; excess deaths indirectly resulting from famine, disease and disruption of services are included along with violent deaths only in the cumulative fatalities count, when available.
- Listed conflicts have at least 100 cumulative deaths in total and at least 1 death in current or in the past calendar year.
- Fatality totals may be underestimated or unavailable due to a lack of information. A figure with a plus sign indicates that at least that many people have died —the actual toll could be higher.
- Location refers to the state where the main violence takes place, not to the warring parties. Italics indicate disputed territories and unrecognized states.
- A territorial dispute or a protest movement which has not experienced deliberate and systemic deaths due to state or paramilitary violence is not considered to be an armed conflict.
Major wars (10,000 or more combat related deaths in current or past year)
Start of conflict | Conflict | Continent | Location | Cumulative fatalities | Fatalities in 2019 | Fatalities in 2020 |
1978 | Afghanistan conflict
| Asia | 227510 –2,000,000 | 41735 | 10,398 | |
2011 | Yemeni Crisis | Asia | 26230 –83,700 | 20882 | 11,330 | |
2011 | Syrian Civil War | Asia | 586,100 | |||
2006 | Mexican Drug War | North America | 41034 dead in battles 1989–2019 | 11813 combat related deaths | 4,913+ |
Wars (1,000–9,999 battle related deaths in current or past year)
The conflicts in the following list have caused at least 1,000 and fewer than 10,000 direct violent deaths in current or past calendar year.Conflicts causing at least 1,000 deaths in one calendar year are considered wars by the Uppsala Conflict Data Program.
Start of conflict | Conflict | Continent | Location | Cumulative fatalities | Fatalities in 2019 | Fatalities in 2020 |
1984 | Kurdish–Turkish conflict
| Asia | 45,000+ | 1,420 | 70+ | |
1991 | Somali Civil War | Africa | 500,000 | 2,637 | 1,586 | |
1999 | Ituri conflict | Africa | 60,000+ | 302+ | 1,055 | |
2002 | Insurgency in the Maghreb | Africa | 16,873 | 4,000+ | 2,909+ | |
2003 | Iraq conflict | Asia | 650,000–2,400,000 | 2,362< | 1,103 | |
2004 | Kivu conflict | Africa | 11,873+ | 1,362 | ||
2009 | Boko Haram insurgency | Africa | 51,567+ | 300+ | 2,703 | |
2011 | Ethnic violence in South Sudan | Africa | 383,000–400,000 | 519 | 1,545 | |
2014 | Libyan Crisis | Africa | 29,859–42,253 | 2,200+ | 1,346 |
Minor conflicts (100–999 battle related deaths in current or past year)
The conflicts in the following list have caused at least 100 and fewer than 1,000 direct violent deaths in current or past calendar year.Start of conflict | Conflict | Continent | Location | Cumulative fatalities | Fatalities in 2019 | Fatalities in 2020 |
1947 | Insurgency in Kashmir | Asia | 45,000–130,000+ | 288 | 210 | |
1948 | Internal conflict in Myanmar | Asia | 130,000–210,000 | 84 | 424 | |
1948 | Arab–Israeli conflict | Asia | 25,000 | 159 | 22 | |
1948 | Insurgency in Balochistan | Asia | 20,289–20,589+ | 208 | 109 | |
1960 | South Thailand insurgency | Asia | 7,053 | 163 | 59 | |
1964 | Colombian conflict | South America | 220,000 | 281 | 693 | |
1967 | Naxalite–Maoist insurgency | Asia | 12,877–14,369+ | 302 | 112 | |
1996 | Allied Democratic Forces insurgency | Africa | 3,353+ | 170+ | 767 | |
1998 | Communal conflicts in Nigeria | Africa | 17,156 | 152 | 62 | |
2004 | Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Asia | 45,265+ | 130 | 125 | |
2012 | Northern Mali conflict | Africa | 3,300+ | 734+ | ||
2012 | Central African Republic conflict | Africa | 8,000+ | 569 | 205 | |
2013 | Insurgency in Egypt | Africa | 772+ | 452+ | 376 | |
2014 | War in Donbass | Europe | 12,800–13,000 | 119+ | 74+ | |
2017 | Anglophone Crisis | Africa | 3,000+ | 385+ | 410+ | |
2017 | Islamist insurgency in Mozambique | Africa | 1,222+ | 643 | 662 | |
2018 | War in Catatumbo | South America | 893+ | 462+ | ||
2019 | 2019–20 Persian Gulf crisis | Asia | 241 | 27 | 214 |
Skirmishes and clashes (Fewer than 100 deaths in current or past year)
The conflicts in the following list have caused fewer than 100 direct violent deaths in current or past calendar year.Start of conflict | Conflict | Continent | Location | Cumulative fatalities | Fatalities in 2019 | Fatalities in 2020 |
1922 | Arab separatism in Khuzestan
| Asia | 206–345 | 1 | ||
1931 | Xinjiang conflict | Asia | 1,000+ | |||
1946 | Kurdish separatism in Iran | Asia | 13,100–35,000 | 10 | 6 | |
1954 | Insurgency in Northeast India | Asia | 25,000+ | 34 | 19 | |
1963 | West Papua conflict | Oceania | 100,000 | 57 | 2 | |
1969 | Moro conflict | Asia | 120,000 | 25 | 53 | |
1969 | Communist rebellion in the Philippines | Asia | 43,388+ | 5 | 5 | |
1975 | Cabinda War | Africa | 30,000 | 12 | 37 | |
1980 | Internal conflict in Peru | South America | 70,000 | 3 | ||
1980 | Maoist insurgency in Turkey | Asia | 600+ | 5 | ||
1987 | Lord's Resistance Army insurgency | Africa | 100,000+ | 19 | ||
1988 | Nagorno-Karabakh conflict | Asia | 27,287+ | 5 | 21 | |
1997 | Mapuche conflict | South America | 20+ | 1 | ||
1998 | Dissident Irish Republican campaign | Europe | 146 | 3 | ||
2005 | Insurgency in Paraguay | South America | 70+ | 1 | 1 | |
2006 | Terrorism in Punjab | Asia | 2,536 | 28 | 6 | |
2007 | Terrorism in Sindh | Asia | 7,636 | 25 | 37 | |
2009 | Insurgency in the North Caucasus | Europe | 4,053–4,084 | 31 | 6 | |
2011 | Sinai insurgency | Africa | 5,000+ | 77+ | ||
2011 | Syrian Civil War spillover in Lebanon | Asia | 820+ | 5 | ||
2020 | Sino-Indian border dispute | Asia | 55+ | 0 | 55 |