Niger: Battle-related deaths (number of people)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 219.46% from 298 in 2019 (26.15% a year on average, compounded). Since 1991 it is up 2,280% from 40 in 1991 (10.08% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 15 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Niger's battle-related deaths (number of people) rose 182.5% on 2023 (from 337 to 952).

Across the 11 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2023), the average change was +12.2% and a typical year strayed about 103.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 302.7% in 2019 and the biggest yearly fall was 67.7% in 2018. 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 the straight-line trend is upward, about 51.66 a year. A straight line explains 43% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2024, Niger had the 14th 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 Niger in the 2024 ranking

• Nigeria — 11th of 35: 1,486
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 12th of 35: 1,138
• Mali — 13th of 35: 1,008
• Yemen, Rep. — 15th of 35: 918
• India — 16th of 35: 437
• Iraq — 17th of 35: 396

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 19 values

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

• Angola — 25 (2024)
• Burundi — 19 (2024)
• Cameroon — 231 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 177 (2024)
• Chad — 69 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 1,138 (2024)
• Ethiopia — 2,824 (2024)
• Kenya — 66 (2024)
• Mali — 1,008 (2024)
• Mozambique — 151 (2024)
• Nigeria

More public sector data for Niger

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 488.89 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 284.28 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.14% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 4 million (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 10,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.11% (2020)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 15.16% (2025)
• CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.5 (2025)
• CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 2.5 (2025)
• CPIA economic management cluster average (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
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

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

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

How has it changed since 1991?

It is up 2,280% from 40 in 1991 (10.08% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 952 in 2024 and the lowest 4 in 2004.

How does Niger rank?

14th highest of 35 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, Niger's battle-related deaths (number of people) rose 182.5% on 2023 (from 337 to 952). Across the 11 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2023), the average change was +12.2% and a typical year strayed about 103.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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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