Nearly one-fifth of the world’s children live in conflict-affected regions, with over 473 million experiencing unprecedented levels of violence since World War II, according to UN data.
On Saturday, UNICEF highlighted a troubling rise in the percentage of children living in conflict zones, which has nearly doubled from 10% in the 1990s to 19%. The agency cautioned against accepting this surge in harm as the “new normal.”
With more active conflicts globally than at any time since 1945, UNICEF reported an alarming increase in violations against children. Its 2023 data confirmed a record 32,990 grave violations involving 22,557 children—the highest figures since UN monitoring began nearly two decades ago. Among the devastating conflicts, Israel’s war in Gaza, which has lasted over 15 months, has resulted in more than 45,000 deaths, with 44% being children. Meanwhile, Ukraine saw higher child casualty numbers in the first nine months of 2024 than in all of 2023, with a projected rise in 2025.
“By almost every measure, 2024 has been one of the worst years for children caught in conflict,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. She emphasized that children in war zones face greater risks of missing school, malnutrition, and repeated displacement than those in peaceful regions. “This cannot become the norm. We cannot let unchecked wars rob an entire generation of their future.”
UNICEF also highlighted the vulnerabilities of women and girls, noting a staggering 1,000% increase in reports of sexual violence against children in Haiti during 2024 alone. Additionally, malnutrition has become a lethal threat for children in conflict zones like Sudan and Gaza, where more than half a million people face famine.
Conflicts also disrupt essential healthcare and education services. UNICEF noted that 40% of children who are unvaccinated or under-vaccinated live in conflict-affected areas, making them vulnerable to diseases like measles and polio. For the first time in 25 years, polio was detected in Gaza in July, but a UN-led vaccination campaign reached over 90% of children under temporary ceasefires.
Education has been severely affected as well. More than 52 million children in conflict zones lack access to learning. In Gaza and Sudan, many children have missed over a year of schooling, while schools in Ukraine, Syria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have been destroyed, damaged, or repurposed.
The mental health toll is immense, with a War Child-supported study revealing that 96% of children in Gaza feared imminent death, and nearly half expressed a desire to die due to overwhelming trauma.
“Children in war zones face unimaginable hardships,” Russell said. “They lose not just their safety and basic needs but also the chance to play, learn, and simply be children. The global community is failing them. As we approach 2025, we must intensify efforts to protect and improve their lives.”
