Women and girls bore a growing share of the cost of armed conflict in 2025, the United Nations reported Monday, saying they accounted for one in four of the more than 37,000 civilians killed that year — double their share in 2021.
Scope of the increase and verified abuses
The U.N. Secretary-General’s annual Women, Peace and Security report, presented at U.N. Headquarters in New York, detailed multiple measures showing the rising toll on females in conflict zones. The report said at least 25 women and girls are killed every day in areas of armed violence and verified 9,788 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2025, more than twice the number recorded the year before and nearly four times the 2022 figure.
“War is getting deadlier for women and girls, and the world is allowing it to happen,” U.N. Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda told journalists as she presented the findings.
The report also says roughly 750 million women and girls now live within 50 kilometres of an active conflict, an increase of 40 million from 2024 and the highest level since 1990. It documents a surge in sexual violence in diverse settings, including a 163% rise in reported cases in Haiti.
Health, displacement and economic impacts
Beyond direct violence, the study links conflict to severe reproductive and maternal harms. In Gaza, the U.N. cited a 41% fall in live births and a 300% rise in miscarriages after widespread damage to hospitals and maternity services and shortages of essential supplies. Women in conflict-affected countries are also at elevated risk of maternal death: the report says a woman giving birth in such a setting is about five times more likely to die from maternal causes than her counterpart in a stable country.
Economic measures show deepening hardship. The report estimates about 170 million women and girls live in extreme poverty while simultaneously residing in conflict zones, surviving on less than $3 a day. It also notes that women in those countries perform five times as many hours of unpaid care work as men and boys.
Weapons and participation in peace processes
The U.N. highlighted how modern weaponry increases dangers for civilians. The growing use of drones and long-range strikes in populated areas has led to attacks on schools, markets and hospitals, the report said, further imperiling women and children. It also stressed that despite suffering disproportionate harm, women remain largely excluded from peace negotiations and decision-making on security.
The report’s findings aim to inform U.N. member states, humanitarian agencies and peacebuilders as they consider protection, health services and efforts to expand women’s participation in conflict resolution.
- 25 women and girls killed per day in conflict settings, according to the report.
- 9,788 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2025.
- 750 million women and girls live within 50 kilometres of active fighting.
