United States · share of its news about armed violence, last 12 months
United States: how tense is it right now?
5.4% of the news located in United States this week is about armed violence (war and terrorism): #36 of the 74 countries we track. Compared with its own history since 2017, that is far below its usual level (4 out of 100).
Armed-conflict intensity5.4%of its news, last 7 days
Rank#36of 74 countries
Vs its own history4far below its usual level
Share of the world’s war news16.8%weighed by severity
Top story. US approves sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, covered by 7 newsrooms in the last 36 hours.
In the news nowAll headlines
31 OctWARIran's supreme leader warns U.S., Israel against new attacksCBS News31 OctWORLDHow can Pope Leo vote in U.S. elections while serving as the sovereign of Vatican City? | ExplainedThe Hindu31 OctWORLDIran says fishermen found after accusing U.S. of attack in HormuzThe Hindu31 OctWARUS approves sale of 500 Patriot missiles to UkraineBBC News31 OctDIPLOMACYUN Western Sahara peacekeeping mission left in limbo after US-Russia veto standoffMiddle East Eye31 OctWARCan Democrats win the US Senate? 10 key midterm races to watchAl Jazeera31 OctWARTrump vs MAGA: Why his movement is splittingFrance 2431 OctWORLDTrump beware: US voters are concerned about government corruptionThe GuardianComing up
03NovUS midterm electionsUnited States · weekly average since 2017 (highest: 31 May 2022)
The tensest weeks for United States since 2017share of its news about armed violence, 7 days
| Week ending | Intensity | Nearby event |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 2022 | 10.6% | — |
| 16 September 2025 | 10.5% | — |
| 5 January 2020 | 10.5% | Soleimani killed |
| 10 August 2019 | 9.6% | — |
| 20 July 2024 | 9.3% | — |
Year by year
| Year | Average intensity | Highest week | Typical rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6.9% | 9.3% | #30 |
| 2025 | 6.4% | 10.5% | #33 |
| 2024 | 6.4% | 9.3% | #33 |
| 2023 | 6.4% | 7.6% | #34 |
| 2022 | 6.5% | 10.6% | #34 |
| 2021 | 6.4% | 7.7% | #32 |
| 2020 | 5.7% | 10.5% | #36 |
| 2019 | 6.2% | 9.6% | #31 |
| 2018 | 6.5% | 8.4% | #28 |
| 2017 | 6.4% | 9.0% | #37 |
Major events involving United States
Full historyCompare United States
Elsewhere in Americas
All countriesFrequently asked questions
How tense is United States right now?
5.4% of the news located in United States over the last 7 days was about armed violence (war and terrorism), which ranks it #36 of the 74 countries Riftrate tracks.
Is United States more tense than usual?
Compared with its own history since 2017, United States is far below its usual level: it has been calmer on 4% of days.
When was United States most tense since 2017?
The highest reading was 10.6%, in the 7 days to 31 May 2022.
Which countries in Americas are the most tense right now?
Haiti (11.1%), Colombia (7.2%), Ecuador (6.0%).
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