Children Affected by Armed Conflict: 1990–2019

While violence and crises affect people of all ages, children are especially vulnerable to the effects of armed conflict. In 2019, almost two-thirds of the world’s children were living in a conflict-ridden country while approximately 426 million children were living less than 50 kilometers from where the actual fighting took place. Despite improved population data, we still need more systematic knowledge on how these children are both directly and indirectly affected by armed conflict. 

This policy brief summarizes the key findings from the fourth annual update of a mapping exercise of children living in conflict zones, commissioned by Save the Children.