After World War II, hundreds of thousands of people died in conflicts each year. Conflict deaths surged again in the 1970s and 1980s, though peaking at lower levels. They fell to much lower levels in the 1990s and have stayed below previous peaks in the decades since — if barely.

Some countries are much more affected by conflict than others. In a large number of countries, few to no people die due to conflicts. Other countries, however, see dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of deaths per year.