Number of Terrorist Attacks Decreases

The number of terror victims has decreased globally, from more than 27,000 in 2016 to approximately 15,000 in 2019 (after hitting a low of fewer than 13,500 in 2018). The number of global terror attacks decreased during the same time from more than 24,000 to around 14,000, according to data from the Global Attack Index by security analyst IHS Markit.

Less people fell victim to terrorists in countries like Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia and Nigeria, but still the number of terrorist victims remained at a high level, with hundreds of victims per country and year still dying in attacks. Among the countries most affected, the number of terror victims rose most sharply in Afghanistan - approximately 1,500 more in 2019 than in 2018 - which pushed global victim numbers up again in 2019.

In line with this development, the terror group that claimed the most lives in 2019 was the Taliban, which killed 4,617. In 2018, the most deadly group was the Islamic State, which caused the death of 3,151 that year.