They should be in school, not in war: The lost generation of 2024

One in every five children worldwide now lives in an active conflict zone, with 520 million children exposed to the effects of war — an unprecedented figure.

According to a report by Al Jazeera, citing Save the Children’s findings released on Tuesday, October 31, 2025, one in five children globally lived in active conflict areas over the past year.

The report notes that 520 million children were exposed to conflict in 2024, marking the third consecutive year of record-high figures.

Save the Children confirmed 41,763 verified grave violations against children in 2024 — a 30% increase compared to 2023.

On average, this means that 78 children every day suffered serious violations such as killing or maiming, abduction, recruitment, or sexual violence.

The report also highlights that growing up in conflict zones often means dropping out of school, forced displacement, and exposure to severe physical and psychological harm.

The CEO of Save the Children stated:

“This disproportionate rise in grave violations shows that beyond the exposure to conflict itself, there is a deep erosion of the international norms and protections designed to shield children from harm.”

He further added: “The report reveals another alarming truth — the current one-dimensional focus on combating violence through military, governmental, or private security solutions has failed to adequately protect children from the most extreme forms of harm.”

In 2024, there were about 61 armed conflicts worldwide involving at least one state actor. Yet, less than 2% of global security spending was allocated to peacebuilding or peacekeeping — a continuation of the long-term decline in funding for peace.

In contrast, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), global military spending rose by over 9% to $2.7 trillion, setting a new record.

Africa had the highest number and proportion of children living in conflict zones — 218 million — surpassing the Middle East for the first time since 2007.

However, the highest number of grave violations against children was recorded in the occupied Palestinian territories, where one in three children killed or injured in conflict was Palestinian.

Overall, more than half of all violations against children occurred in Palestine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and Somalia.