Women and girls accounted for one in four of more than 37,000 civilians killed in armed conflicts in 2025, double their share in 2021, according to a United Nations report.
The U.N. secretary-general’s annual report on Women, Peace and Security said at least 25 women and girls are killed every day in conflict settings as civilian deaths and conflict-related sexual violence rise.
About 750 million women and girls now live within 50 kilometers of an active conflict, 40 million more than in 2024 and the highest number since 1990.
“War is getting deadlier for women and girls, and the world is allowing it to happen,” UN Women Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda told journalists at U.N. headquarters in New York.
“For them, war is not something they can scroll past. War is outside their door,” Gumbonzvanda added.
The report said the U.N. verified 9,788 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2025, more than twice the number recorded a year earlier and almost four times the figure in 2022.
In Haiti, reported cases of sexual violence rose by 163%.
Women also face greater health risks in conflict-affected countries. A woman giving birth in such a country is five times more likely to die from maternal causes than one in a stable country, Gumbonzvanda said.
In Gaza, the destruction of hospitals and maternity facilities and the collapse of access to essential supplies contributed to a 41% decrease in live births and a 300% increase in miscarriages, according to the report.
Conflict is also pushing women deeper into poverty.
About 170 million women and girls live in both conflict zones and extreme poverty, surviving on less than $3 a day. In conflict-affected countries, women and girls spend five times as many hours on unpaid care work as men and boys.
Despite the growing impact of war on women and girls, their participation in efforts to end conflicts remains limited.
Women made up 5% of negotiators across 57 peace processes in 2025, down from 7% the previous year. None of 13 ceasefire agreements explicitly prohibited conflict-related sexual violence.
The report also said global military spending reached a record $2.9 trillion last year, while 40% of women’s organizations in crisis-affected settings expect to close temporarily or permanently within the next year because of severe funding shortages.
“More women and girls are trapped in wars than at any point in decades. Yet military spending keeps rising, and development assistance keeps falling,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.
UN Women called for stronger protection of women and girls, their meaningful participation in peace and security efforts, sustained investment in women-led peacebuilding and an end to impunity.
“War is a human choice. So is peace,” Gumbonzvanda said.
