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International peacekeeping operations reached their lowest level in at least 25 years in 2025, as funding shortages, geopolitical tensions, and political disagreements placed growing pressure on the global multilateral system, according to a new report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

The report found that the number of international personnel deployed in peace operations fell to 78,633 by the end of 2025, marking a 17% decline from the previous year and a 49% drop compared to 2016. SIPRI described the decline as the sharpest annual reduction of the decade.

According to SIPRI, the decline was largely driven by a major funding crisis affecting the United Nations. Delayed or unpaid contributions from key donor countries forced several peacekeeping missions to reduce personnel and scale back operations.

The UN peacekeeping system faced a funding shortfall of nearly $2 billion in July 2025, equivalent to more than one-third of its total budget. The UN General Assembly later approved a reduced peacekeeping budget of $5.38 billion for the 2025–2026 period, the lowest level in at least a decade.

SIPRI warned that continued financial instability could severely weaken international conflict management mechanisms.

“If things continue in this way, we could see a dramatic weakening of multilateral conflict management and the near-complete sidelining of institutions like the United Nations, due to a perfect storm of funding, political and geopolitical factors,” said Jaïr van der Lijn, director of SIPRI’s peace operations and conflict management program.

“The result is likely to be more conflicts, and these conflicts are likely to have even graver impacts on civilians as states abandon long-established norms,” he added.

Geopolitical Rivalries Increasingly Affect Peacekeeping

The report highlighted growing divisions among major powers as another key challenge facing international peacekeeping operations.

SIPRI said the United States, under President Donald Trump, took significant steps in 2025 to reduce support for several UN bodies and peacekeeping efforts. The institute also pointed to Russia’s growing role in African conflicts and wider disagreements among permanent members of the UN Security Council.

One major example involved the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). During mandate renewal discussions in 2025, the United States reportedly pushed for the mission’s termination despite repeated violations of the 2024 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

A compromise agreement eventually extended the mission until December 2026. SIPRI noted that veto threats and hardline positions from permanent Security Council members increasingly complicated decisions regarding mandate renewals and new peacekeeping deployments.

Regional Missions Expanding but Facing Limitations

Although the United Nations remained the largest organizer of multinational peacekeeping missions in 2025, accounting for 18 operations and around 67% of deployed personnel, most peacekeeping operations worldwide were led by regional organizations and alliances.

In total, 58 multilateral peace operations were active across 34 countries and territories during the year. However, SIPRI warned that regional organizations often lack the financial resources, logistical capabilities, and political unity needed for long-term peacebuilding efforts.

“Regional organizations lack key capabilities when it comes to successful, integrated peacebuilding, while they are also plagued by funding shortfalls and inability to reach agreements like the UN,” said Claudia Pfeifer Cruz, senior researcher in SIPRI’s peace operations and conflict management program.

“As UN-led conflict management recedes, it is leaving a growing gap that alternative models are unable to fill,” she added.

The report said regional organizations, including the African Union, ECOWAS, and the OSCE, faced similar political and financial difficulties, particularly regarding conflicts in Sudan and Ukraine.

Africa Remains the Center of Peacekeeping Operations

Sub-Saharan Africa continued to host the majority of peacekeeping deployments, accounting for around 70% of all international personnel. Europe hosted 12% of deployed personnel, while the Middle East and North Africa accounted for 15%.

According to SIPRI, nearly three-quarters of all peacekeeping personnel were concentrated in just five missions, four of which were located in sub-Saharan Africa.

The largest operations included the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

Two new operations were launched in 2025:

• The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM)
• The Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti

Meanwhile, four operations ended during the year, including missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Haiti, and the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Global South Countries Lead Troop Contributions

The report also showed that countries from the Global South remained the backbone of international peacekeeping deployments.

Uganda became the largest contributor of military personnel with 4,657 troops deployed. Nepal, Bangladesh, and India each contributed more than 4,000 troops.

Other major contributors included Rwanda, Ethiopia, Burundi, Kenya, Pakistan, and Indonesia. All the top 10 contributors of military and police personnel came from developing countries.

Shift Toward Ad Hoc Security Arrangements

SIPRI warned that weakening multilateral peacekeeping structures could push countries toward more unilateral or ad hoc military arrangements.

The institute said responses to international crises are increasingly moving outside traditional UN-led frameworks and becoming more militarized and driven by national interests.

Despite the growing challenges, SIPRI stressed that broad international support for peacekeeping still exists in principle.

More than 130 UN member states participated in discussions during the 2025 Berlin Peacekeeping Ministerial, focusing on the future of UN peacekeeping operations. “The collapse of multilateral conflict management is not inevitable,” Claudia Pfeifer Cruz said.

“However, to sustain multilateral conflict management, states will need to go beyond expressions of support; they will need to provide predictable funding and create enough political space to enable effective multilateral responses.”