Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred in South Africa
South Africa: Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred was 0 deaths in 2026. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2026)
0 deaths
Change on year
down 100.0%
World rank
39th
of 196 countries
All-time high
1,437 deaths
in 1990
All-time low
0 deaths
in 1997
Years of data
38
1989–2026
Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred in South Africa, 1989–2026
Source: Uppsala Conflict Data Program (2026); geoBoundaries (2023) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
The most recent figure for deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred in South Africa is 0 deaths, measured in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 38 years on record.
That represents a change of down 100.0% on the previous year and down 100.0% over five years.
Over the whole period, deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred in South Africa peaked at 1,437 deaths in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0 deaths, in 1997.
South Africa ranks 39th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred in South Africa, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 281 deaths | — |
| 1990 | 1,437 deaths | +411.4% |
| 1991 | 695 deaths | -51.6% |
| 1992 | 706 deaths | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 889 deaths | +25.9% |
| 1994 | 509 deaths | -42.7% |
| 1995 | 143 deaths | -71.9% |
| 1996 | 156 deaths | +9.1% |
| 1997 | 0 deaths | -100.0% |
| 1998 | 29 deaths | — |
| 1999 | 0 deaths | -100.0% |
| 2000 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2002 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2003 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2004 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2005 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2006 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2007 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2008 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2009 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2010 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2011 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2012 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2013 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2014 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2015 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2016 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2017 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2018 | 1 deaths | — |
| 2019 | 0 deaths | -100.0% |
| 2020 | 2 deaths | — |
| 2021 | 123 deaths | +6050.0% |
| 2022 | 0 deaths | -100.0% |
| 2023 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2024 | 0 deaths | — |
| 2025 | 1 deaths | — |
| 2026 | 0 deaths | -100.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 281 deaths | 281 deaths | 281 deaths | 1 |
| 1990s | 456.4 deaths | 0 deaths | 1,437 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 0 deaths | 0 deaths | 0 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1 deaths | 0 deaths | 1 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 18 deaths | 0 deaths | 123 deaths | 7 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 37 Bangladesh 1 deaths compare
- 37 Burundi 1 deaths compare
- 39 Albania 0 deaths compare
- 39 Algeria 0 deaths compare
- 39 Andorra 0 deaths
- 39 Angola 0 deaths compare
- 39 Antigua and Barbuda 0 deaths
- 39 Argentina 0 deaths compare
- 39 Armenia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Australia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Austria 0 deaths compare
- 39 Azerbaijan 0 deaths compare
- 39 Bahamas 0 deaths
- 39 Barbados 0 deaths
- 39 Belarus 0 deaths
- 39 Belgium 0 deaths compare
- 39 Belize 0 deaths
- 39 Benin 0 deaths compare
- 39 Bhutan 0 deaths compare
- 39 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 0 deaths compare
- 39 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 deaths compare
- 39 Botswana 0 deaths compare
- 39 Brazil 0 deaths compare
- 39 Brunei Darussalam 0 deaths
- 39 Bulgaria 0 deaths
- 39 Cambodia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Canada 0 deaths compare
- 39 Cape Verde 0 deaths
- 39 Central African Republic 0 deaths compare
- 39 Chile 0 deaths
- 39 China 0 deaths compare
- 39 Comoros 0 deaths compare
- 39 Congo 0 deaths compare
- 39 Costa Rica 0 deaths compare
- 39 Côte d'Ivoire 0 deaths compare
- 39 Croatia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Cuba 0 deaths
- 39 Cyprus 0 deaths
- 39 Czechia 0 deaths
- 39 Denmark 0 deaths
- 39 Djibouti 0 deaths compare
- 39 Dominica 0 deaths
- 39 Dominican Republic 0 deaths
- 39 Timor-Leste 0 deaths compare
- 39 Ecuador 0 deaths compare
- 39 Egypt 0 deaths compare
- 39 El Salvador 0 deaths compare
- 39 Equatorial Guinea 0 deaths
- 39 Eritrea 0 deaths compare
- 39 Estonia 0 deaths
- 39 Eswatini 0 deaths compare
- 39 Fiji 0 deaths
- 39 Finland 0 deaths
- 39 France 0 deaths compare
- 39 Gabon 0 deaths
- 39 Gambia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Georgia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Germany 0 deaths compare
- 39 Greece 0 deaths
- 39 Greenland 0 deaths
- 39 Grenada 0 deaths
- 39 Guatemala 0 deaths compare
- 39 Guinea 0 deaths compare
- 39 Guinea-Bissau 0 deaths compare
- 39 Guyana 0 deaths compare
- 39 Honduras 0 deaths compare
- 39 Hungary 0 deaths
- 39 Iceland 0 deaths
- 39 Indonesia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Ireland 0 deaths
- 39 Italy 0 deaths
- 39 Jamaica 0 deaths compare
- 39 Japan 0 deaths
- 39 Jordan 0 deaths compare
- 39 Kazakhstan 0 deaths
- 39 Kiribati 0 deaths
- 39 Kyrgyzstan 0 deaths compare
- 39 Lao People's Democratic Republic 0 deaths compare
- 39 Latvia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Lesotho 0 deaths compare
- 39 Liberia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Libya 0 deaths compare
- 39 Liechtenstein 0 deaths
- 39 Lithuania 0 deaths compare
- 39 Luxembourg 0 deaths
- 39 Madagascar 0 deaths compare
- 39 Malawi 0 deaths
- 39 Malaysia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Maldives 0 deaths
- 39 Malta 0 deaths
- 39 Marshall Islands 0 deaths
- 39 Mauritania 0 deaths compare
- 39 Mauritius 0 deaths
- 39 Republic of Moldova 0 deaths compare
- 39 Monaco 0 deaths
- 39 Mongolia 0 deaths
- 39 Montenegro 0 deaths compare
- 39 Morocco 0 deaths compare
- 39 Namibia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Naoero 0 deaths
- 39 Nepal 0 deaths compare
- 39 Netherlands 0 deaths compare
- 39 New Zealand 0 deaths
- 39 Nicaragua 0 deaths compare
- 39 North Korea 0 deaths
- 39 North Macedonia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Norway 0 deaths
- 39 Palau 0 deaths
- 39 Panama 0 deaths compare
- 39 Papua New Guinea 0 deaths compare
- 39 Paraguay 0 deaths compare
- 39 Peru 0 deaths compare
- 39 Philippines 0 deaths compare
- 39 Poland 0 deaths compare
- 39 Portugal 0 deaths
- 39 Qatar 0 deaths compare
- 39 Romania 0 deaths compare
- 39 Rwanda 0 deaths compare
- 39 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 deaths
- 39 Saint Lucia 0 deaths
- 39 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 deaths
- 39 Samoa 0 deaths
- 39 San Marino 0 deaths
- 39 Sao Tome and Principe 0 deaths
- 39 Senegal 0 deaths compare
- 39 Serbia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Seychelles 0 deaths
- 39 Sierra Leone 0 deaths compare
- 39 Singapore 0 deaths
- 39 Slovakia 0 deaths
- 39 Slovenia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Solomon Islands 0 deaths compare
- 39 Republic of Korea 0 deaths
- 39 Spain 0 deaths compare
- 39 Suriname 0 deaths
- 39 Sweden 0 deaths compare
- 39 Switzerland 0 deaths
- 39 Taiwan 0 deaths
- 39 Tajikistan 0 deaths compare
- 39 Tanzania, United Republic of 0 deaths compare
- 39 Thailand 0 deaths compare
- 39 Togo 0 deaths compare
- 39 Tonga 0 deaths
- 39 Trinidad and Tobago 0 deaths compare
- 39 Tunisia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Türkiye 0 deaths compare
- 39 Turkmenistan 0 deaths
- 39 Tuvalu 0 deaths
- 39 Uganda 0 deaths compare
- 39 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 0 deaths compare
- 39 United States of America 0 deaths compare
- 39 Uruguay 0 deaths
- 39 Uzbekistan 0 deaths compare
- 39 Vanuatu 0 deaths
- 39 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 0 deaths compare
- 39 Viet Nam 0 deaths
- 39 Western Sahara 0 deaths compare
- 39 Zambia 0 deaths compare
- 39 Zimbabwe 0 deaths compare
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Frequently asked questions
- What is deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred in South Africa?
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred in South Africa was 0 deaths in 2026, according to Uppsala Conflict Data Program (2026); geoBoundaries (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1,437 deaths in 1990.
- What is the lowest deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 deaths in 1997.
- How does South Africa rank for deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred?
- South Africa ranks 39th out of 196 countries with data for 2026.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Uppsala Conflict Data Program (2026); geoBoundaries (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Best estimate of the number of deaths of combatants and civilians due to fighting in interstate, intrastate, extrasystemic, non-state conflicts, and one-sided violence that were ongoing that year.