ACLED

ACLED provides data and analysis on political violence and protest around the world, facilitating research, policy making, and journalistic reporting.

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Description

ACLED provides detailed, up-to-date information on political violence and protest events worldwide. The toolset includes the , , , and a , allowing users to track, analyze, and forecast conflict dynamics. Users can download datasets and utilize interactive dashboards for in-depth analysis of trends, country-specific profiles, and more. Covering all countries and territories (≈240), ACLED’s data supports research, humanitarian, and policy applications by enabling users to observe conflict patterns, identify trends, and assess regional stability risks.

Timely Data: A detailed dataset on the dates, locations, actors, and fatalities of political violence and protests, updated weekly.
: Written reports by ACLED analysts and researchers based of ACLED data.
Analysis Tools: Interactive dashboards, trend reports, and maps visualizing conflict data over time and across regions.
Country Profiles: In-depth reports on specific countries, analyzing conflict dynamics and historical context.
Data Export: Downloadable datasets in various formats for custom analysis.

Some functions or Dashboards within ACLED (such as CAST) might not work with an Ad- or tracking-blocker or on browsers with very strict security settings. The author's research doesn't indicate that this is of high concern, but you're responsible for your own digital footprint. You can download monthly reports for most of the tools, or use a VM to connect to ACLED if you want to avoid switching off these tools on your computer.

Features

Data

: Weekly updated conflict and protest data, as well as
: Filters data by location, actor, and event type, with exportable tables and charts.
: Interactive trend-tracking for political violence and demonstrations.
: Provides forecasts for political violence up to six months ahead.
Conflict Exposure Calculator: Assesses population exposure to conflict within specified areas and timeframes.
Conflict Index: Ranks global conflict levels.
Special Projects: Focuses on conflicts like Ukraine and Yemen, with real-time monitoring.

Analysis - Tools

The following part of the text contains detailed function information in collapsable containers for convenience.

ACLED Explorer

The ACLED Explorer enables filtering and summarizing data, generating tables and charts showing conflict and protest-related data, including types, actors, locations, and periods from 2018 onwards.

ACLED Explorer functions

Data download: download results as a .csv file.

Date Range: filter by a customizable date range.

Geographic area: select regions or countries of interest.

Grouping: group the results by Region, Country, Province District, or Location.

Select specific Provinces or District

Select particular data: ability to select Actors or Actor Types.

Toggle event types: disaggregate the results by event types, sub-event types, or civilian targeting.

Time period grouping: group results by time period day or week.

Views: table view or chart view.

Available metrics: metrics including Event Counts or Fatality Counts

Example of the ACLED Table View below showing all countries of interest:

Example of the ACLED Explorer Chart View below

ACLED Trendfinder

ACLED Trendfinder provides interactive tools for tracking global political violence and demonstrations. It enables the identification of significant changes, historical context, and early warning signs of conflict emergence across countries and regions.

Trendfinder Functions

Annual Trend graph: a bar chart and line graph with a time range slider.

Compare: compare events to the previous month or year.

Dark theme toggle

Data download: download data in .xlsx format.

Filter by Event / Sub event Types: filter events e.g., Battles, Protests, Riots, etc.

Individual event details: when viewing subnational results, these are viewable on the map and include event and sub-event type and actors involved,

Map view: see events plotted on a map.

Table view: see a table of events by country or subnational area.

Reset button

Select country: filter by a specific country.

Table View - Event Count and Change Statistics: filterable by country, Provinces or District, Events in the current Week, Yearly Average, and Percentage Change.

Zoom tool: zoom in and out on the map.

The example below shows using the ACLED Trendfinder to examine all event types in the Netherlands for a specific week compared to the previous year:

ACLED Conflict Alert System (CAST)

The ACLED Conflict Alert System (CAST) forecasts global political violence events up to six months ahead, with monthly updates and accuracy metrics for previous forecasts.

Forecasts function overview

Map view: see forecast trends of decreases/increases from the average plotted on a map.
Zoom tool: zoom in and out on the map.
Table view of Forecasted Events: filterable by country, number of events, forecast average, and predicted change.
Filter by country: filter by country.
Filter by outcome: filter by what event types are expected.
Filter by comparing the forecast to the previous time period from one month to 12 months.
Filter by selected forecast date: up to six months in the future.
Forecast trends graph view: a line graph with a time range slider showing historical and forecasted events.
What's driving the forecast: a bar chart visualization of events behind the forecasts.

Accuracy metrics in the CAST system allow users to see how accurate the forecast is compared to the last six months.

Accuracy metrics overview

Zoom tool: zoom in and out on the map.
Map view: mean percentage error plotted on a map (toggle between percentage error and error).
Filter by time period: from six months or a specific month.
Filter by country: filter by country.
Filter by outcome: filter by what event types are expected.
Table view of Forecasted Events: Country, Observed Events, Forecast, Error, and Percentage Error (filterable by country).

Example below: the default view for May 2024.

Conflict Exposure Calculator

Shows the number of people exposed to conflict in the selected area and time period.

Conflict exposure calucator functions

Data download:: download data in .xlsx format
Level of aggregation: Country, Global, Provinces, or District Level Location.
Filter by event or actor type and Actors.
Filter by country: filter by country or countries.
Filter by date range.
Table View: Country, distance, best, percentage of the country population, and total events.

ACLED Conflict Index

Ranking violent conflict levels across the world.

Example below: May 2024.

Special Projects

Cost

Free
Partially Free
Paid

Level of difficulty

Requirements

Web - any modern web browser.
Interactive Conflict Index Dashboard: requires registration with an email address.

Limitations

The ACLED dataset and tools come with several limitations that researchers should be aware of before deciding to utilize them in their projects:

Geographical Coverage: While ACLED covers over 50 countries around the world, there may be gaps in coverage, especially in regions with less accessible information or ongoing conflicts.
Data Updates: Though ACLED regularly updates its dataset, there can be a lag in reporting of certain events due to the time it takes to verify information. This might affect research that requires the most current data.
Resolution and Granularity: The level of detail and granularity of data can vary by location and event, potentially impacting analyses that require uniform detail across datasets.
Access Restrictions: Some detailed data or analysis tools may only be available to users with specific access levels, which could limit the scope of research for those with basic access.
Dependence on Open Sources: The quality and reliability of ACLED data is dependent on the availability and veracity of open sources. In regions where media is restricted or unreliable, this could impact the accuracy of the dataset.

Researchers should consider these limitations in conjunction with their research goals and methodologies to determine if ACLED's tools and datasets suit their needs.

Ethical Considerations

Data Misinterpretation: There is a risk that data could be misinterpreted or taken out of context, potentially leading to harmful conclusions or actions. Researchers must strive for accuracy and clarity in their analyses.
Bias and Representation: It's essential to acknowledge any biases in the data collection and reporting processes and understand how these may affect the representation of certain groups or incidents.
Ethical Use and Attribution: Users of ACLED data should commit to using the data ethically, including proper attribution and acknowledgment of ACLED as the data source, and should not use the data for purposes that could incite violence or conflict.

Researchers and users of ACLED data are encouraged to engage with these ethical considerations thoughtfully, ensuring their work contributes positively to global understanding and resolution of international conflicts.