In 2023, 7,382 terrorist attacks were recorded globally. Since 2014, the number of terrorist attacks worldwide generally decreased.
Terrorist attacks
In recent years, the number of terrorist attacks reached a low in 2012 with 6,771 attacks globally. In 2014, the number of attacks had more than doubled to 13,463 attacks, which was the year when the Islamic State reached the height of its power in Syria and Iraq. The majority of terrorism acts have been located in Middle Eastern countries such as Syria and Yemen as well as in some African states such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia.
Terrorism in the United States
Soon after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, the fear of another terrorist attack was prominent among American citizens. The Al-Qaeda terrorist attack killed some 3,000 people on this occasion, the deadliest terrorist attack since 1970.
Number of terrorist attacks worldwide between 2007 and 2023
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Number of terrorist attacks worldwide between 2007 and 2023
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Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition. Common definitions of terrorism refer only to those violent acts which are intended to create fear (terror), are perpetrated for a religious, political or ideological goal, and deliberately target or disregard the safety of non-combatants (civilians).
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US Department of Homeland Security. (April 15, 2024). Number of terrorist attacks worldwide between 2007 and 2023 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved April 29, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/202864/number-of-terrorist-attacks-worldwide/
US Department of Homeland Security. "Number of terrorist attacks worldwide between 2007 and 2023." Chart. April 15, 2024. Statista. Accessed April 29, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/202864/number-of-terrorist-attacks-worldwide/
US Department of Homeland Security. (2024). Number of terrorist attacks worldwide between 2007 and 2023. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: April 29, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/202864/number-of-terrorist-attacks-worldwide/
US Department of Homeland Security. "Number of Terrorist Attacks Worldwide between 2007 and 2023." Statista, Statista Inc., 15 Apr 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/202864/number-of-terrorist-attacks-worldwide/
US Department of Homeland Security, Number of terrorist attacks worldwide between 2007 and 2023 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/202864/number-of-terrorist-attacks-worldwide/ (last visited April 29, 2025)
Number of terrorist attacks worldwide between 2007 and 2023 [Graph], US Department of Homeland Security, April 15, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/202864/number-of-terrorist-attacks-worldwide/
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