UN reports sharp rise in women's deaths and sexual violence in conflicts

UN Women officials warned on Monday that women and girls are bearing an increasingly disproportionate share of the human cost of armed conflict, with their fatalities doubling since 2021 and verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence rising sharply.

Mounting Death Toll

Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, UN Women's deputy executive director for normative support, told reporters in Washington that women and girls were bearing a growing share of the human cost of wars she described as "preventable." More than 37,000 civilians were killed in armed conflicts during 2025, with women and girls accounting for one in four deaths, twice their share in 2021, she said. At least 25 women and girls were killed every day, while more than 750 million lived within 50 kilometers of an armed conflict, she added.

Sexual Violence Surge

Gumbonzvanda stated that the UN verified 9,788 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2025, more than double the number recorded in 2024 and nearly four times the 2022 figure. "Women are paying the price of war," she said. "The conflicts that have disappeared from our screens, but not from the lives of women and girls enduring them. And for women and girls who survive, the burden is relentless," she added, urging governments to protect civilians and hold perpetrators accountable.

Proliferating Conflicts

Sarah Hendriks, director of the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division at UN Women, said the growing number of conflicts worldwide is worsening conditions for women and girls. More than 185 conflicts were recorded globally in 2025, including 65 state-based conflicts, Hendriks noted. "Wars are multiplying; the ways that wars are fought are changing, and it is women and girls who are paying the price," she said.