The number of missing persons in the world has increased by 70% in five years – Red Cross

In five years, the number of missing people has increased by about 70% due to the growth of conflicts. This was stated by Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross Pierre Krenbul.

"From Sudan to Ukraine, from Syria to Colombia, the trend is clear: the rapidly rising number of missing persons serves as a stark reminder that conflicting parties and those who support them fail to protect people in times of war," he said .

According to the organization, at the end of 2024, there were about 284,400 missing persons. This is about 68% more than in 2019, when the number of missing persons was 169,500. The reasons for the increase are the armed conflicts in Sudan and Gaza, as well as the full-scale war in Ukraine.

Only slightly more than 16,000 people were found and more than 7,000 were reunited with their families.

The Red Cross suggests that the real number of missing persons may be much higher than the registered number.

• As of April 2025, the Ministry of Internal Affairs knew about about 10,000 prisoners of war among more than 60,000 missing in action during Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
• On June 12, it was reported that in May, a record number of relatives of Russian soldiers, who went missing – more than 100,000 people – appealed to Ukraine .