Contrary to what many might think, it was not the war in Ukraine that was the bloodiest last year.
"In Ethiopia, more people have actually died, and then only during three months of warfare between August and November, after a ceasefire broke down," says Shawn Davies, senior analyst at the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) at Uppsala University, which is behind the report.
Unclear death toll
Together, the wars in Ethiopia and Ukraine resulted in 180,000 combat-related deaths in 2022. This is a low estimate as the information about deaths from the wars is still unclear and the death toll is expected to increase as more information becomes available.
The study only counts the number of direct deaths in all the world's armed conflicts – and not deaths due to the consequences of the war, such as diseases, lack of clean water or medical care.
Mexico dominates the statistics
The number of armed conflicts involving at least one state continues to be at a historically high level, 55, UCDP reports. But the number of non-state conflicts, including fighting between, for example, rebel groups or gangs, was also a record high: 82.
"Now Mexico dominates these statistics and it is mainly because of the violence between cartels that fight each other for control of territory and trade in drugs," says Therese Pettersson, project manager at UCDP.