SEAToday.com, New York - The impact of armed conflict on children around the world is reaching devastating and possibly record-breaking levels by 2024, according to a UNICEF review based on recent data and global trends.

“By almost any measure, 2024 is set to be one of the worst years in UNICEF's history for children trapped in conflict zones - both in terms of the number of children affected and the degree to which it affects their lives,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

“A child growing up in a conflict zone is far more likely to drop out of school, become malnourished or be displaced, often repeatedly, than a child living in a peaceful area. This must not become the new normal. We must not allow generations of children to become casualties of the world's uncontrollable wars.”

More than 473 million children - or more than one in six children globally - now live in conflict-affected areas. The world is currently facing the highest number of conflicts since World War II.

The percentage of the world's children living in conflict zones has doubled - from about 10 percent in the 1990s to nearly 19 percent today.

The latest data from 2023 shows that the UN verified 32,990 grave violations against 22,557 children - the highest number since Security Council-mandated monitoring began.

Given this upward trend in grave violations - for example, thousands of children were killed and injured in Gaza, and in Ukraine, the UN recorded more child casualties in the first nine months of 2024 than in all of 2023 - this year will likely see another increase.