The proportion of the world engulfed by conflict has grown 65% – equivalent to nearly double the size of India – over the past three years, according to a new report.

Ukraine, Myanmar, the Middle East and a “conflict corridor” around Africa’s Sahel region have seen wars and unrest spread and intensify since 2021, according to the latest Conflict Intensity Index (CII), published by risk analysts Verisk Maplecroft.

While there was a lull in the levels of conflict globally during the Covid-19 pandemic, experts say there has been a rising trend of violence for at least a decade, while many longstanding crises continue unabated.

Hugo Brennan, research director at Verisk Maplecroft, said recent conflicts have had far-reaching impacts on businesses, economic growth and food security, with supply chains disturbed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which endangered grain exports to the Middle East and Africa, and attacks by Houthi rebels from Yemen on Red Sea shipping.

“Conflict risks are increasing, they have for the last few years and global businesses need to think about that. You can look at international media and think: ‘I don’t have a factory in Sudan, it does not affect me,’ but because of the supply chain impacts, a conflict in a faraway place can impact you,” he said.

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