Pakistan has emerged as the country most impacted by terrorism for the first time, topping the latest Global Terrorism Index 2026 released by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), even as global terrorism-related deaths declined sharply.
According to the report, Pakistan recorded a significant resurgence in violence in 2025, with 1,139 deaths and 1,045 incidents, marking its highest levels since 2013. The country ranked first with a score of 8.574, followed by Burkina Faso and Niger.
The GTI, which analyses terrorism trends across 163 countries covering 99.7% of the world's population, showed that global deaths from terrorism fell by 28% to 5,582, while incidents dropped by 22% to 2,944, the lowest levels since 2007.
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However, the report highlighted a contrasting trend in the West, where terrorism-related fatalities surged by 280% in 2025, driven largely by antisemitism, Islamophobia and politically motivated violence. Youth radicalisation and lone-wolf attacks have emerged as key drivers, with 93% of fatal attacks in Western countries carried out by individuals acting alone.
Regionally, sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the epicentre of terrorism, with six of the ten most affected countries located in the region. Groups linked to the Islamic State remained the deadliest globally, accounting for nearly 17% of all attacks.
The report also warned that escalating geopolitical tensions, particularly involving Iran, could further destabilise regions and create new breeding grounds for extremist groups if state structures weaken.
The GTI uses a composite score based on four indicators — incidents, fatalities, injuries and hostages — applying a five-year weighted average to assess the overall impact of terrorism in each country on a scale from 0 to 10.
Despite the overall decline in global terrorism, the report cautioned that worsening economic conditions, rising conflicts and rapid online radicalisation could reverse recent gains, pointing to an increasingly fragmented global security landscape.
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