Uppsala Conflict Data Program

Battle-Related Deaths Dataset is conflict-year and dyad-year dataset with information on the number of battle-related deaths in the conflicts from 1989-2019 that appear in the UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset. The definition of conflict inclusion in this dataset follows the UCDP definition of armed conflict. The Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) defines an armed conflict as a contested incompatibility that concerns government and/or territory over which the use of armed force between two parties, of which at least one is the government of a state, has resulted in at least 25 battle-related deaths in one calendar year. Battle-related deaths refer to those deaths caused by the warring parties that can be directly related to combat. This includes traditional battlefield fighting, guerrilla activities (e.g. hitand-run attacks/ambushes) and all kinds of bombardments of military bases, cities and villages etc. Urban warfare (bombs, explosions, and assassinations) does not resemble what happens on a battlefield, but such deaths are considered to be battle-related. The target for the attacks is either the military forces or representatives for the parties, though there is often substantial collateral damage in the form of civilians being killed in the crossfire, indiscriminate bombings, etc. All fatalities – military as well as civilian – incurred in such situations are counted as battle-related deaths. The data on armed conflicts are compiled by calendar year. They include data on conflict location, type of incompatibility, year the incompatibility was formed, year the warring party began its use of armed force, warring parties, secondary support, negotiations, and battle-related deaths during the year. Variables description: Year - the year of observation. Location - The name of the country/countries whose government(s) has a primary claim to the object in dispute (the incompatibility), as given in the UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset. Incompatibility - a general coding of the conflict issue, if the conflict is an incompatibility over government or over territory, as given in the UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset. Territory Name - the name of the territory over which the conflict is fought, provided that the incompatibility is over territory, as given in the UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset. Type of Conflict - the UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset identifies four different types of conflict: extrasystemic (1), interstate (2), intrastate (3) and internationalized intrastate (4). Battle Location - the name of the country/countries in which battle-related deaths that can be related to the incompatibility have been recorded. Region - Identifies the region of the location. The following regions are given in the UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset; Europe (1), Middle East (2), Asia (3), Africa (4), and the Americas (5). Best estimate - best estimate for battle-related deaths in the conflict/dyad in the given year Low estimate - low estimate for battle-related deaths in the conflict/dyad in the given year. High estimate - high estimate for battle-related deaths in the conflict/dyad in the given year.

This document describes the UCDP Georeferenced Event Dataset (UCDP GED), a project within the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University. This version of the dataset is fully compatible with other UCDP datasets version 21.1. GED 21.1 is a global dataset that covers the world between 1989-01-01 and 2020-12-31.

The UCDP/PRIO Armed Conflict Dataset is a joint project between the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University and the Center for the Study of Civil War at the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo (PRIO). The main unit in this dataset is an “Armed Conflict” as defined by UCDP. UCDP defines conflict as: “a contested incompatibility that concerns government and/or territory where the use of armed force between two parties, of which at least one is the government of a state, results in at least 25 battle-related deaths.” The observation (or unit) is the conflict-year. Each conflict is listed in all years where fighting in one or more dyad(s) caused at least 25 battle-related deaths. Start dates frequently refer to years prior to the first calendar year of a conflict, as the start of a conflict might be in a year with less than 25 fatalities. Variables description: Location - the name(s) of the country/countries whose government(s) have a primary claim to the issue in dispute. Location is defined as the government side of a conflict, and should not be interpreted as the geographical location of the conflict. Incompatibility - a general coding of the conflict issue. The incompatibility is coded in three categories: "territory", "government", "government and territory". Year - year of observation. Intensity level - the intensity level in the dyad per calendar year. Two different intensity levels are coded: minor armed conflicts and wars. Minor: between 25 and 999 battle-related deaths in a given year. War: at least 1,000 battle-related deaths in a given year. Conflict type - four different types of conflict: extra systemic, interstate, intrastate  and internationalized intrastate.  Region - identifying the region of the location. This variable groups the various conflicts into five geographical categories, dependent on the location of the conflict