United Kingdom · share of its news about armed violence, last 12 months
United Kingdom: how tense is it right now?
4.9% of the news located in United Kingdom this week is about armed violence (war and terrorism): #44 of the 74 countries we track. Compared with its own history since 2017, that is around its usual level (31 out of 100).
Armed-conflict intensity4.9%of its news, last 7 days
Rank#44of 74 countries
Vs its own history31around its usual level
Share of the world’s war news2.7%weighed by severity
In the news nowAll headlines
31 OctWARStreeting says he began stockpiling food weeks ago amid rising threat to UKThe Guardian31 OctDIPLOMACYUS cancels G20 ‘family photo’ after Australia, UK and others refuse to appear with RussiaThe GuardianUnited Kingdom · weekly average since 2017 (highest: 16 January 2024)
The tensest weeks for United Kingdom since 2017share of its news about armed violence, 7 days
| Week ending | Intensity | Nearby event |
|---|---|---|
| 16 January 2024 | 10.3% | — |
| 17 April 2018 | 9.7% | — |
| 29 May 2017 | 9.7% | — |
| 27 March 2017 | 8.7% | — |
| 21 June 2025 | 8.7% | — |
Year by year
| Year | Average intensity | Highest week | Typical rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5.7% | 8.4% | #43 |
| 2025 | 5.2% | 8.7% | #46 |
| 2024 | 5.8% | 10.3% | #41 |
| 2023 | 5.5% | 7.4% | #44 |
| 2022 | 5.1% | 6.3% | #47 |
| 2021 | 5.0% | 7.0% | #49 |
| 2020 | 4.6% | 6.3% | #50 |
| 2019 | 4.9% | 7.7% | #47 |
| 2018 | 5.3% | 9.7% | #43 |
| 2017 | 5.8% | 9.7% | #42 |
Compare United Kingdom
Elsewhere in Europe
All countriesFrequently asked questions
How tense is United Kingdom right now?
4.9% of the news located in United Kingdom over the last 7 days was about armed violence (war and terrorism), which ranks it #44 of the 74 countries Riftrate tracks.
Is United Kingdom more tense than usual?
Compared with its own history since 2017, United Kingdom is around its usual level: it has been calmer on 31% of days.
When was United Kingdom most tense since 2017?
The highest reading was 10.3%, in the 7 days to 16 January 2024.
Which countries in Europe are the most tense right now?
Ukraine (11.6%), Russia (9.6%), France (5.9%).
Where does this data come from?
From the GDELT Project, which codes events reported in the world’s news in more than 100 languages and locates them. Riftrate measures the share of each country’s news about armed violence, excluding ordinary crime and policing. It measures the news, not casualties.
How it is measured: GDELT locates every event reported in the news. We take all the coverage of events located in the country over 7 days and measure the part about armed violence: war and terrorism, excluding ordinary crime and policing. It does not depend on the size of the country or on how many newspapers cover it. It measures the news, not the number of victims. Methodology