Want to go deeper? The KidsRights Index 2026 ranks every country in the world on how well it respects and protects children’s rights.
One in five children grow up within range of a war zone
The numbers are staggering, but the reality behind them is harder still. More than 20 percent of children worldwide are growing up within 50 kilometres of a war zone. Global military spending has risen by 41 percent in under a decade. And in Sudan alone, 825,000 children under five are facing severe acute malnutrition right now, in 2026.
But this is not just a story about statistics. It is a story about what happens to a child when the road to school becomes too dangerous to walk. When the money that could fund a clinic is spent on weapons instead. When violence is not something that happens nearby, but something that is deliberately directed at children themselves.
More than 20 percent of children worldwide are growing up within 50 kilometres of an armed conflict.
KidsRights Index 2026
Who bears the heaviest cost of armed conflict, and why? What does international law actually require of governments, and why are those obligations being ignored? And what does it mean for a generation of children to grow up in conditions the world has, repeatedly, promised to prevent?
Our new longread goes into all of it.
Get the in-depth article on the escalating armed conflicts and their impact on children, delivered straight to your inbox.
Explore the KidsRights Index 2026 rankings
More news
KidsRights Index 2026 summarized: Children increasingly used as weapons of war and obesity reaches epidemic levels
KidsRights Index 2026 reveals a growing global child rights crisis as conflict-related sexual violence against children rises by 35% since 2024, children are increasingly targeted as part of warfare, and childhood obesity reaches epidemic proportions worldwide.
Childhood obesity becomes a global pandemic
A KidsRight longread on the childhood obesity crisis the world keeps ignoring. Because for the first time in history, more children worldwide are living with obesity than with underweight. It is a milestone that should have made front pages everywhere. It largely did not.
Apply Now! State of Youth Changemaking Funding Call for Mental Health
We are excited to announce that we are accepting applications for the 'Changemaking Call for projects strengthening children's and youth mental health' exclusively for State of Youth Chapters fully registered in the Movement Platform. This Changemaking Call is financially supported by Kinderpostzegels. Read more to find out how you can apply!