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A UNICEF review of the latest available data and prevailing global trends showed that the impact of armed conflicts on children around the world has reached devastating and possibly record levels in 2024.
UNICEF said in a statement issued today, Saturday, that estimates indicate that the number of children living in conflict areas or who have been forcibly displaced due to conflict and violence is greater than ever before.
It added that a record number of children affected by conflict are exposed to violations of their rights, including killing and injury, dropping out of school, losing life-saving vaccines, and severe malnutrition. According to the United Nations daily news bulletin
UNICEF indicated that conflict causes about 80 percent of all humanitarian needs worldwide, disrupting access to essentials, including safe water, food, and health care.
More than 473 million children – more than one in six children worldwide – now live in areas affected by conflict, with the world experiencing the highest number of conflicts since World War II.
The proportion of the world’s children living in conflict zones has doubled, from around 10 per cent in the 1990s to nearly 19 per cent today.
More displacement
UNICEF said that by the end of 2023, 47.2 million children had been displaced by conflict and violence, with trends in 2024 pointing to additional displacement due to intensifying conflicts, including in Haiti, Lebanon, Myanmar, the State of Palestine and Sudan.
Children represent 30 per cent of the world’s population, yet on average they make up nearly 40 per cent of the refugee population and 49 per cent of internally displaced people.
“By almost every measure, 2024 has been one of the worst years on record for children in conflict in UNICEF’s history, both in terms of the number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “We cannot allow a generation of children to become collateral damage in the world’s unchecked wars.” UNICEF noted that, according to the latest available data for 2023, the UN verified a record 32,990 grave violations against 22,557 children – the highest number since monitoring mandated by the Security Council began.

She added that with the overall upward trend in the number of grave violations – for example, thousands of children were killed and injured in Gaza and Ukraine. The UN verified more child casualties in the first nine months of 2024 than in the whole of 2023. She warned that this year is likely to witness another increase..
Loss of education
UNICEF pointed out that the situation of women and girls is particularly worrying, with widespread reports of rape and sexual violence in conflict settings.
In situations of armed conflict, children with disabilities are disproportionately exposed to violence and rights violations, according to the UNICEF review.
Regarding the disruption of education in conflict areas, the UN organization said that estimates indicate that more than 52 million children in conflict-affected countries are out of school.
It said that children in the Gaza Strip, and a large proportion of children in Sudan, have lost more than a year of school, while in countries such as Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Syria, schools have been damaged, destroyed or reused, leaving millions of children without access to learning.
A daily struggle for survival
UNICEF also indicated that malnutrition among children in conflict areas has risen to alarming levels, as conflict and armed violence continue to be the main drivers of hunger in many hotspots, disrupting food systems, displacing populations and impeding humanitarian access.
She cited the declaration of famine conditions in North Darfur, the first famine since 2017.

The UN organization said that conflicts also have a devastating impact on children’s ability to access critical health care.

She added that about 40 percent of unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children live in countries partially or completely affected by conflict.

She also pointed to the huge impact on children’s mental health, as exposure to violence, destruction and loss of loved ones can manifest in children through reactions such as depression, nightmares, difficulty sleeping, aggressive or withdrawn behavior, sadness and fear, among others.

The UNICEF Executive Director said that “children in war zones face a daily struggle for survival that robs them of their childhood.”

She added: “The world is failing to help these children. As we look to 2025, we must do more to turn things around and save and improve children’s lives.”