Organized violence 1989–2023, and the prevalence of organized crime groups

Abstract This article examines trends in organized violence based on new data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP). In 2023, fatalities from organized violence decreased for the first time since the rapid increase observed in 2020, dropping from 310,000 in 2022 to 154,000 in 2023. Despite this decline, these figures represent some of the highest fatality rates recorded since the Rwandan genocide in 1994, surpassed only by those of 2022 and 2021. The decrease was primarily attributed to the end of the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, which accounted for about 60% of battle-related deaths in both 2022 and 2021. Despite this positive development, the number of active state-based armed conflicts…

• V
  Vetenskapsrådet

  Award: 2021-00162
• RJ
  Riksbankens Jubileumsfond

  Awards: Grant No. IN22-0051, IN22-0051
• UU
  Uppsala Universitet

  Awards: Grant No. 2021-00162, 2021-00162