Cluster Munitions Kill Over 1,063 People Globally in 2025

One thousand sixty-three people died or were hurt by cluster munitions worldwide in 2025. This figure ranks among the highest annual totals ever recorded. A global network of researchers released this grim data on Tuesday.

Most of these victims were civilians. At least thirty-four were children under the age of eighteen. The suffering spread across Afghanistan, Cambodia, Iraq, Laos, Lebanon, Myanmar, Russia, Syria, and Ukraine.

Ukraine bore the brunt of this violence again. It accounted for eighty-seven percent of all global casualties in 2025. This marks the fourth straight year where Ukraine saw the highest number of recorded deaths and injuries. The true toll is surely worse. Many cases never make it into official reports.

The peak year remains 2022 when one thousand one hundred seventy-two people were killed or wounded. That surge followed Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine that same year.

These weapons disperse small explosive compartments indiscriminately. They endanger civilian populations significantly. Unexploded ordnance can lie dormant for years after dispersal. People walk into deadly traps long after conflicts end.

The Oslo Process birthed the Convention on Cluster Munitions. It entered force in 2010. Norway and other nations pushed for this international treaty to shield civilians from controversial explosives. The agreement bans use, production, and collection of these munitions. One hundred twelve states have joined as parties. Twelve others remain signatories. Lithuania became the first nation to withdraw in March. It stands alone as the only country to do so.

Iran, Myanmar, Russia, Thailand, Ukraine, and Mali used cluster munitions this year. Mali holds party status under the convention. The report could not verify every claim directly. Reports surfaced of use by Israel and the US inside Iran. Pakistan allegedly fired them in Afghanistan. Houthi forces reportedly used them in Israel. Israel also deployed them in Lebanon.

New production evidence appeared in China, India, Israel, Myanmar, North Korea, Poland, Romania, Russia, and South Korea. The report added that evidence suggests the US plans new production soon. This future manufacturing looms as a threat.

The US and Russia blocked an annual UN General Assembly resolution last December. They voted against promoting the convention for the first time since its introduction. Cuts in US foreign assistance disrupted cleanup efforts previously. These funding gaps led to at least one hundred seventeen deaths and injuries in 2025 alone.