369 Conflicts Globally
The Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research Publishes the Conflict Barometer 2023
Due to technical issues, the full 2023 report including all conflict texts will be available
in mid-November. This report represents a pre-version, summarizing all quantitative
data points and portraying the full Conflict Panorama of 2023. This report does not
include any qualitative texts, Spotlights, conflict reports, and regional summaries, and their
authors, conflict-specific maps and statistics, and the full list of supporters of our yearly
publication. Please be aware that this document will be updated soon.
The short version of the Conflict Barometer 2023 can be downloaded here:
With the 32nd edition of the Conflict Barometer, the Heidelberg Institute for
International Conflict Research (HIIK) continues its annual study on global conflict.
Since 1992, the Conflict Barometer has qualitatively and quantitatively recorded
the dynamics of political conflicts, both violent and non-violent, worldwide. In
accordance with the HIIK methodology, violent conflicts are classified according
to their intensity into violent crises (intensity 3), limited wars (intensity 4), and
wars (intensity 5). Non-violent conflicts are divided into disputes (intensity 1)
and non-violent crises (intensity 2). The annual report is supplemented by conflict
maps, graphics, and datasets as well as Spotlight texts that shed light on the wider
context of current conflict dynamics.
In 2023, the HIIK documented a total of 369 conflicts worldwide, an overall
increase of ten conflicts. Of these, 220 were violent and 149 non-violent.
Compared to the previous year, the number of wars rose from 20 to 22. The
Azerbaijan (Nagorno-Karabakh) conflict, intrastate conflicts in DR Congo, Sudan and
Myanmar (two in total), as well as a total of three conflicts in Israel, of which two
involved the State of Palestine° and one involved Hezbollah, escalated into wars.
Six wars de-escalated, while 14 wars continued. The number of limited wars
worldwide remained constant at 21 conflicts.
The number of non-violent conflicts rose from 148 to 149. Twelve conflicts were
settled by the conflict parties themselves or closed due to inactivity.
As in previous years, the most common type of conflict was intrastate (252 conflicts),
followed by inter-state conflicts (58 conflicts). The most common of the ten
methodically followed conflict items, material or immaterial goods, which are
sought by the direct conflict actors through conflict measures, were (in
descending order of frequency) system/ideology, resources, subnational
predominance, and national power.
As in the previous year, sub-Saharan Africa was the region with the most wars. A
total of 13 wars were observed in Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Cameroon, Mali, Niger,
Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan. Eleven of these wars maintained their
intensity from the previous year, while two conflicts escalated to wars. A total of 89 conflicts were
observed in sub-Saharan Africa, 58 of which were violent and 31 non-violent,
and therefore one (violent) conflict fewer than in the previous year.
In the West Asia, North Africa and Afghanistan region, the number of wars rose from
two to three compared to the previous year; the number of limited wars rose from
four to five. All three wars involved Israel, of which two involved the State of
Palestine and one involved Hezbollah. A total of 67 conflicts were observed in the
region, 43 of which were violent and 24 non-violent, which is nine more than in the
previous year.
In Asia and Oceania, the number of observed wars rose from one to three
compared to the previous year, all three of which involved Myanmar; the number
of limited wars fell from eight to four. Overall, the highest number of global
conflicts of the year was observed in the region: 101, of which 61 were violent
and 40 non-violent, and thus a total of four fewer conflicts than in the previous
year.
In Europe, the number of wars observed rose from one to two compared to the
previous year. In addition to the Russia-Ukraine war, the Azerbaijan (Nagorno-
Karabakh) conflict escalated into a war; no limited wars were observed, compared
to one in the previous year. A total of 49 conflicts were observed in the region, 18
of which were violent and 31 of which were non-violent, which shows no increase
compared to the previous year.
In the Americas, the number of wars remained constant with one war in Haiti. The
number of limited wars decreased from four to three, compared to the previous
year. A total of 63 conflicts were observed in the region, 40 of which were violent
and 23 non-violent, two more than in the previous year.
Since its foundation in May 1990, the Institute has been dedicated to researching,
documenting, and analyzing intra-, inter-, trans-, and sub-state conflicts worldwide. More than
200 young researchers work at the HIIK on a voluntary basis. The HIIK presents its research
findings both qualitatively and quantitatively in the annual Conflict Barometer. The work
product comprises an approximately 200-page annual report and various data sets, both of
which are open access.
November 7, 2024
The HIIK Board