Afghanistan: Battle-related deaths (number of people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Afghanistan's battle-related deaths (number of people) rose 9.7% on 2023 (from 237 to 260).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +14.4% and a typical year strayed about 62.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 197.8% in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 97.4% in 2022. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 26% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Afghanistan had the 18th highest value of the 35 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Afghanistan in the 2024 ranking

• Yemen, Rep. — 15th of 35: 918
• India — 16th of 35: 437
• Iraq — 17th of 35: 396
• Cameroon — 19th of 35: 231
• Colombia — 20th of 35: 225
• Central African Republic — 21st of 35: 177

What this measures

Battle-related deaths are deaths in battle-related conflicts between warring parties in the conflict dyad (two conflict units that are parties to a conflict). Battle-related deaths refer to those deaths caused by the warring parties that can be directly related to combat. This includes battlefield fighting, guerrilla activities (e.g. hit and-run attacks/ambushes) and all kinds of bombardments of military bases, cities and villages etc. The target for the attacks is either the military forces or representatives for the parties, though there is often substantial collateral damage in the form of civilians being killed in the crossfire, indiscriminate bombings, etc. All fatalities, military as well as civilian, incurred in such situations are counted as battle-related deaths.

Limitations: While the best estimate for battle-related deaths is considered a conservative minimum, the high estimate may still undercount actual fatalities due to unreported events, and users are cautioned that the apparent precision of the numbers does not eliminate underlying uncertainty.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 36 values

Battle-related deaths (number of people) in nearby economies

• Algeria — 26 (2020)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 231 (2022)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 123 (2024)
• Iraq — 396 (2024)
• Israel — 21,440 (2024)
• Lebanon — 4,335 (2024)
• Libya — 2 (2024)
• Pakistan — 1,534 (2024)
• Saudi Arabia — 9 (2023)
• Syrian Arab Republic — 2,732 (2024)
• Yemen, Rep.

More public sector data for Afghanistan

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 65 million (2021)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 165,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 1.82% (2020)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 278.25 million (2021)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 23.04 billion (2021)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.83% (2021)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100) — 66.6 (2024)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score (scale 0-100) — 64.56 (2024)
• CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Afghanistan's battle-related deaths (number of people)?

260 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1989?

It is down 94.97% from 5,174 in 1989 (8.19% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 35,787 in 2021 and the lowest 237 in 2023.

How does Afghanistan rank?

18th highest of 35 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in battle-related deaths (number of people) unusual for Afghanistan?

In 2024, Afghanistan's battle-related deaths (number of people) rose 9.7% on 2023 (from 237 to 260). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +14.4% and a typical year strayed about 62.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator VC.BTL.DETH, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UCDP Battle-related Deaths Dataset , Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), uri: https://ucdp.uu.se/downloads/, publisher: Uppsala University Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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