SIPRI report highlights sharp decline in global peacekeeping personnel

The number of personnel deployed to multilateral peace operations has plummeted by over 40 per cent between 2015 and 2024, according to a new report released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) ahead of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

The report notes that a total of 61 multilateral peace operations were active across 36 countries or territories during 2024, two fewer than in 2023. Despite this relatively stable number of missions, the number of deployed international personnel has dropped significantly from 161,509 in 2015 to just 94,451 by the end of 2024.

SIPRI attributes this decline to increasing geopolitical tensions and funding shortfalls, which have hampered the ability of the United Nations and regional organisations like the African Union to agree on, deploy, and sustain peacekeeping efforts.

“Peace operations are under mounting pressure, and this has real consequences for civilians in conflict zones,” said Dr Claudia Pfeifer Cruz, Senior Researcher at SIPRI.

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the largest theatre of peacekeeping operations, hosting 74 per cent of all personnel in 2024. Smaller proportions were deployed in the Middle East and North Africa (15 per cent), Europe (9 per cent), the Americas (1 per cent), and Asia and Oceania (0.3 per cent). Notably, the Americas saw a 120 per cent increase in personnel compared to 2023.