At least 25 women and girls are killed daily in armed conflicts, as civilian casualties rise, conflict-related sexual violence surges and women remain largely excluded from global peace negotiations, according to a new United Nations report.
The 2026 UN Secretary-General’s report on Women, Peace and Security, released on October 26, reveals that women and girls accounted for one in four civilian deaths recorded in conflicts in 2025, double their proportion in 2021.
More than 37,000 civilians were killed in conflicts last year, highlighting the growing toll of wars on vulnerable populations.
The report further estimates that approximately 750 million women and girls now live within 50 kilometres of an active conflict zone, an increase of 40 million compared with 2024. The figure is the highest recorded since 1990.
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous warned that the growing number of women and girls exposed to conflict comes at a time when military spending continues to rise while development assistance declines.
“More women and girls are trapped in wars than at any point in decades,” Bahous said, calling for increased investment in women’s leadership, conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
Beyond deaths and displacement, the report highlights a sharp increase in conflict-related sexual violence, with cases verified by the United Nations nearly quadrupling between 2022 and 2025.
Women and girls are also bearing the economic consequences of war, with approximately 170 million living in conflict zones while surviving in extreme poverty on less than three US dollars a day.
The report notes that this group accounts for nearly 40 per cent of all women and girls living in extreme poverty worldwide.
In conflict-affected countries, women and girls spend five times as many hours as men and boys on unpaid domestic and care work, twice the global average, further deepening gender inequalities.
The UN also warned that changing methods of warfare are exposing women and girls to additional risks, particularly through the increased use of drones and long-range weapons in populated areas.
Attacks on schools, markets and hospitals, alongside emerging artificial intelligence-enabled military technologies, are heightening concerns over civilian protection, especially for women and girls already facing displacement, violence and insecurity.
Despite these challenges, women continue to play a critical role in protecting communities, supporting survivors and preventing violence.
However, their contribution remains largely unrecognised in formal peace processes.
According to the report, women accounted for only five per cent of negotiators across 57 peace processes worldwide in 2025, down from seven per cent in 2024.
The report further raises concerns over dwindling financial support for women-led organisations working in conflict-affected areas.
While global military expenditure reached a record 2.9 trillion US dollars in 2025, 40 per cent of women’s organisations operating in crisis-affected settings expect to suspend operations temporarily or shut down permanently within the next year due to severe funding shortages.
These organisations play a key role in mediating local disputes, sheltering displaced people, supporting survivors of violence and maintaining social cohesion in communities affected by war.
UN Women has called for stronger protection of women and girls, meaningful participation in peace and security processes, and sustained investment in women-led conflict prevention and peacebuilding initiatives.
The agency has also urged governments and international partners to uphold international law and end impunity for violations committed during armed conflicts.
