Women and girls represented one in four of the more than 37,000 civilians killed in armed conflict last year. The proportion of women and girls among civilian war fatalities has doubled since 2021.
Approximately 750 million women and girls live within 50 kilometres of an active conflict, a figure that rose by 40 million compared to 2024. The United Nations verified 9,788 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2025, while reported cases in Haiti increased by 163 per cent.
Live births in Gaza fell by 41 per cent, while miscarriages in the territory rose by 300 per cent. Around 170 million women and girls live in both extreme poverty and conflict zones.
Women comprised only 5 per cent of negotiators across 57 peace processes in 2025. Global military spending reached a record $2.9 trillion last year.
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda said, "War is getting deadlier for women and girls, and the world is allowing it to happen." Gumbonzvanda added, "For them, war is not something they can scroll past. War is outside their door."
She also noted, "War is a human choice. So is peace." Sima Bahous said, "More women and girls are trapped in wars than at any point in decades. Yet military spending keeps rising and development assistance keeps falling."
