In 2024, Burkina Faso was the country most impacted by terrorism worldwide, and also recorded the highest number of fatalities from terrorism. Six of the countries listed in the top 10 highest number of deaths caused by terrorism were located in Africa.

21,596 people were killed by terrorists worldwide in 2023. This was significantly lower than the peak in 2018, when nearly 33,000 people were killed in terrorist attacks worldwide, and lower than the 21,957 fatalities in 2022. The number of terrorist attacks worldwide declined overall since 2014. What is terrorism? Terrorism is defined as unlawful violence or systematic use of terror against civilians or politicians for ideological or political reasons, to create fear. Terrorism is practiced by political extremists, nationalistic and religious groups, revolutionaries, and ruling governments. Deadliest terrorist attack The terrorist attack against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11, 2001 was the deadliest attack registered in the period between 1970 and 2020. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attack. The second deadliest attack was the Tikrit attack by the Islamic State in Iraq in 2014, killing 1,700 people.

The Global Terrorism Database™ (GTD) is an open-source database including information on terrorist events around the world from 1970 through 2020 (with annual updates planned for the future). Unlike many other event databases, the GTD includes systematic data on domestic as well as international terrorist incidents that have occurred during this time period and now includes more than 200,000 cases.

Description

This Dataset contains details of the Confirmed deaths, including all victims and attackers who died because of a terrorist attack from 1970 -2021.

Acknowledgements

https://ourworldindata.org//

Terrorism Index in Saudi Arabia decreased to 0.85 Points in 2024 from 1.37 Points in 2023. Saudi Arabia Terrorism Index - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on June of 2025.

Terrorism Index in Nigeria increased to 7.66 Points in 2024 from 7.58 Points in 2023. Nigeria Terrorism Index - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on June of 2025.

The global terrorism index systematically ranks countries of the world according to their terrorist activity. In 2024, Burkina Faso ranked first on the global terrorism index with a score of 8.58 points, making it the country most affected by terrorism on Earth. In 2023, the Democratic Republic of the Congo suffered from the fourth highest number of terrorist attacks.Additional information on the Global terrorism index The Global Terrorism Index is an annual ranking produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace. As even the definition of terrorism is hotly debated, it is essential to highlight that the methodologies used to measure terrorism are also contested. The Global Terrorism Index ranks 163 countries on four indicators weighted over five years. These four factors are: the number of terrorist incidents per year, the number of fatalities caused by terrorists per year, the number of injuries caused by terrorists per year, and total property damage caused by terrorism per year. Terrorist groups Terrorism comes in several forms from a variety of groups with differing intentions. Taliban regaining power in Afghanistan in 2021 can help explain the high ranking of Afghanistan, but the country has been plagued by terrorist activities for many decades. The operation of numerous groups alongside or in conflict with the Islamic State and the Taliban has led to Afghanistan falling victim to a high number of attacks. Moreover, IS now operates across several countries and regions, including in Burkina Faso. Economic damages On the non-human casualty side of the index, property loss is an important metric as loss of shelter or livelihood has a long lasting impact on those who survive the attack physically unharmed. The high percentage of attacks in advanced economies in the most expensive terrorist attacks by insured property loss demonstrates the limitation of using comparative financial data. Although the insured losses are lower in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, this does not suggest the impact of property loss is lower. The instability in these countries often makes insurance unaffordable for most citizens.

This study was conducted in response to a lack of existing data collections relating specifically to acts of American terrorism. A primary goal of the study was to create an empirical database from which criminological theories and governmental policies could be effectively evaluated. The American Terrorism Study began in 1989 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Terrorist Research and Analytical Center released a list of persons indicted as a result of investigation under the FBI's Counterterrorism Program. Since that time, FBI has released additional lists to the principal investigators. After receiving a list of persons indicted in federal criminal court as a result of an official terrorism investigation, the researchers reviewed the cases at either the federal district court where the cases were tried or at the federal regional records center where the cases were archived. The researchers divided the dataset into five distinct datasets. Part 1, Counts Data, provides data on every count for each indictee in each indictment. This is the basic dataset. There were 7,306 counts from 1980 to 2002. Part 2, Indictees Data, provides data on each of the 574 indictees from 1980-2002. Part 3, Persons Data, provides data on the 510 individuals who were indicted by the federal government as a result of a terrorism investigation. Part 4, Cases Data, provides one line of data for each of the 172 criminal terrorism cases that resulted from a federal terrorism investigation. Part 5, Group Data, provides one line of case data for each of the 85 groups that were tried in federal court for terrorism-related activity. Each of the five datasets includes information on approximately 80 variables divided into four major categories: (1) demographic information, (2) information about the terrorist group to which the individual belongs, (3) prosecution and defense data, and (4) count/case outcome and sentencing data.

Terrorism Index in India increased to 6.41 Points in 2024 from 6.32 Points in 2023. India Terrorism Index - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on June of 2025.

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Terrorism: A Global Overview

Terrorism, defined as the use of violence or threats to intimidate or coerce, remains a significant global concern. Its manifestations range from bombings to armed assaults, hijackings, and hostage-taking. Often perpetrated by non-state actors pursuing political or ideological goals, terrorism targets civilians, state actors, or public infrastructure.

Global Trends:

While terrorism is relatively rare on a global scale, its prevalence varies widely by region and country. Some regions experience frequent attacks, while others see few or none. According to data and research, the frequency of terrorist incidents fluctuates over time, with periods of escalation and de-escalation.

Regional Variances:

Regions such as the Middle East, South Asia, and parts of Africa have historically faced higher incidences of terrorism compared to others. Factors contributing to this include political instability, ethnic or religious tensions, and the presence of extremist groups. In contrast, regions like Europe and North America have seen fewer attacks, though they are not immune to terrorism.

Factors Driving Terrorism:

Several factors contribute to the occurrence of terrorism. Socioeconomic disparities, political grievances, religious extremism, and territorial disputes can all fuel radicalization and the resort to violent means. Additionally, the ease of access to weapons and the spread of extremist ideologies through online channels have facilitated the proliferation of terrorist activities.

Impact and Response:

Terrorist attacks, while statistically rare, often have a profound impact on societies. They instill fear, disrupt daily life, and challenge the authority of governments. In response, nations employ various strategies, including enhanced security measures, intelligence sharing, counterterrorism operations, and efforts to address root causes such as poverty and marginalization.

Global Efforts:

International cooperation is crucial in combating terrorism. Multilateral organizations such as the United Nations, Interpol, and regional bodies collaborate on intelligence sharing, capacity building, and legal frameworks to prevent and respond to terrorist threats. Additionally, diplomatic efforts aim to address underlying conflicts and promote dialogue as a means of resolving grievances.

Technological Challenges:

Advancements in technology present both opportunities and challenges in counterterrorism efforts. While surveillance tools, data analytics, and cybersecurity measures aid in detecting and preventing attacks, terrorists also exploit technology for recruitment, propaganda dissemination, and coordination of operations. Balancing security imperatives with privacy concerns remains a persistent challenge.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, terrorism continues to pose a complex and multifaceted threat to global security. While rare on a global scale, its impact can be devastating, underscoring the need for sustained vigilance and concerted action. Addressing the root causes of terrorism, fostering inclusive societies, and strengthening international cooperation are essential components of an effective counterterrorism strategy in the 21st century.

Terrorism Index in Brazil decreased to 1.43 Points in 2024 from 1.99 Points in 2023. Brazil Terrorism Index - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on June of 2025.

We study the effects of terrorism on political trust and national versus ethnic identification. Making use of unexpected attacks by the extremist group Boko Haram in Nigeria, which occurred during the fieldwork of a public opinion survey in 2014, we show that even in a context of weak state institutions and frequent terrorist activities, terror attacks significantly increase political trust. We also find that the attacks significantly reduced the salience of respondents’ national identity, instead increasing ethnic identification. These findings run counter to arguments that “rally around the flag” effects following terror attacks result from increased patriotism. The results have important implications for understanding the effects of terrorism in contexts of weak state institutions, frequent political violence, and politically salient ethnic divisions.

Context

The Global Terrorism Database (GTD) was developed to be a comprehensive, methodologically robust set of longitudinal data on incidents of domestic and international terrorism. Its primary purpose is to enable researchers and analysts to increase understanding of the phenomenon of terrorism. The GTD is specifically designed to be amenable to the latest quantitative analytic techniques used in the social and computational sciences.

Content

The GTD was designed to gather a wide variety of etiological and situational variables pertaining to each terrorist incident. Depending on availability of information, the database records up to 120 separate attributes of each incident, including approximately 75 coded variables that can be used for statistical analysis. These are collected under eight broad categories, as identified in the GTD Codebook, and include, whenever possible:

incident date region country state/province city latitude and longitude (beta) perpetrator group name tactic used in attack nature of the target (type and sub-type, up to three targets) identity, corporation, and nationality of the target (up to three nationalities) type of weapons used (type and sub-type, up to three weapons types) whether the incident was considered a success if and how a claim(s) of responsibility was made amount of damage, and more narrowly, the amount of United States damage total number of fatalities (persons, United States nationals, terrorists) total number of injured (persons, United States nationals, terrorists) indication of whether the attack is international or domestic Other variables provide information unique to specific types of cases, including kidnappings, hostage incidents, and hijackings.

Acknowledgements

Information in the GTD is drawn entirely from publicly available, open-source materials. These include electronic news archives, existing data sets, secondary source materials such as books and journals, and legal documents. All information contained in the GTD reflects what is reported in those sources. While the database developers attempt, to the best of their abilities, to corroborate each piece of information among multiple independent open sources, they make no further claims as to the veracity of this information. Users should not infer any additional actions or results beyond what is presented in a GTD entry and specifically, users should not infer an individual associated with a particular incident was tried and convicted of terrorism or any other criminal offense. If new documentation about an event becomes available, an entry may be modified, as necessary and appropriate.

As discussed in more detail below, the first phase of data for the GTD (GTD1: 1970-1997) was collected by the Pinkerton Global Intelligence Service (PGIS)—a private security agency. Cases that occurred between 1998 and March 2008 were identified and coded by the Center for Terrorism and Intelligence Studies (CETIS), in partnership with START. A third data collection phase was instituted for cases that occurred between April 2008 and October 2011, with efforts led by the Institute for the Study of Violent Groups (ISVG) at the University of New Haven. Beginning with cases that occurred in November 2011, GTD data collection is done by START staff at the University of Maryland. In addition, GTD researchers have worked to supplement information on additional cases throughout the full duration of the GTD.

In addition to data originally collected by PGIS, CETIS, and ISVG, cases identified in other archives of terrorism incidents have also been incorporated, including:

Global terrorism incident data provided by Alex P. Schmid, Director of the Terrorism Research Initiative (TRI). We thank Prof. Schmid for allowing us to draw from databases he developed in the course of his career in academia and in the United Nations. Maghreb & Sahel Terrorism: Addressing the Rising Threat from al-Qaeda and other Terrorists in North & West/Central Africa, by Yonah Alexander Political Violence and Terrorism in Modern America, by Christopher Hewitt the Conflict Archive on the Internet the Australian Turkish Media Group and, Armenian Terrorism: The Past, Present, the Prospects, by Francis Hyland Further Submissions and Responses by the ANC to Questions Raised by the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation 12 May 1997

For More Information: http://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/

The ITERATE project is an attempt to quantify data on the characteristics of transnational terrorist groups, their activities which have international impact, and the environment in which they operate. ITERATE data are available in two formats: as MS Excel tables and as text-file narratives. The Excel Tables are available for download via this Dataverse record. For access to the text-file narratives, please contact the Map & Data Library, University of Toronto. ITERATE’s numeric version, in Excel format, covers 1968 through 2020, coding the incidents discussed in the textual chronologies. It combines four distinct and interrelated files which count the most salient components of international terrorism: Common File 1968-2019 - includes over 13,000 cases and 42 variables Hostage File 1968-2007 - coded characteristics of 1,410 terrorism incidents that involved hostage-taking, with 41 variables Fate File 1968-1987 - includes 974 incidents and14 variable Skyjack File 1968-1987 - includes over 372 skyjacking incidents and 27 variables All variables and values for the data have remained consistent. New values are added with the emergence of new terrorist groups and types of terrorist activity. Incident codes for each event are consistent across files, enabling immediate cross reference. See codebook for further information. The datasets are based upon, inter alia, an exhaustive search of major media, research, news and information services, including AP, UPI, Reuters, CNN , MSNB , AFP, The Washington Post, New York Times, LA Times, Time, Newsweek, and al-Jazeera. The chronology incorporates information obtained from interviews with government officials, scholars, and former hostages/others involved in international terrorist incidents. Additional sources include relevant manuscripts and scholarly publications dealing with the subject. Finally, the chronology uses many official government chronologies, including those published by the NCTC, FBI, CIA, US Department of State, and FAA. ITERATE Text and ITERATE Numeric data files were acquired in April 2021.

Description to be added

Terrorism Index in Israel decreased to 7.46 Points in 2024 from 8.14 Points in 2023. Israel Terrorism Index - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on June of 2025.

The underlying reasons behind modern terrorism are seemingly complex and intangible. Despite diverse causal mechanisms, research has shown that there exists general statistical patterns at the global scale that can shed light on human confrontation behaviour. Whilst many policing and counter-terrorism operations are conducted at a city level, there has been a lack of research in building city-level resolution prediction engines based on statistical patterns. For the first time, the paper shows that there exists general commonalities between global cities under terrorist attacks. By examining over 30,000 geo-tagged terrorism acts over 7000 cities worldwide from 2002 to today, the results shows the following. All cities experience attacks $A$ that are uncorrelated to the population and separated by a time interval $t$ that is negative exponentially distributed $\sim \exp(-A^{-1})$, with a death-toll per attack that follows a power law distribution. The prediction parameters yield a high c...

We analyze whether affective polarization -- the extent to which individuals feel positively towards one party and negatively towards another one -- can be aggravated by terrorism violence. Terrorist attacks intensify pre-existing ideological worldviews and partisan leanings and bring divisive political issues to the fore. Yet, they can also generate strong feelings of cohesion, solidarity and unity, as individuals from the entire political spectrum come together. To identify causal effects, we exploit a series of natural experiments in Great Britain and leverage the timing of fatal far-right and Islamic terrorist attacks and the date of interview of respondents in the British Election Study. We find that Islamic attacks increase affective polarization whereas far-right attacks depolarize the electorate. We provide evidence that this discrepancy can partly be explained by the perceived salience of attacks and different attitudes towards contentious and polarizing issues.