Terrorism: number of deaths worldwide 2022

21,943 people were killed by terrorists worldwide in 2022. This was significantly lower than the peak in 2018, when nearly 33,000 people were killed in terrorist attacks worldwide, and lower than the 23,692 fatalities in 2021. 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, with the intention 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.

Number of fatalities due to terrorist attacks worldwide between 2007 and 2022

Characteristic	Number of deaths
2022	21,943
2021	23,692
2020	29,366
2019	26,273
2018	32,944
2017	18,753
2016	25,722
2015	29,424
2014	32,763
2013	18,066
2012	11,098
2011	12,533
2010	13,186
2009	15,310
2008	15,708
2007	22,719

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Release date

September 2023

More information

Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

2007 to 2022

Supplementary notes

Data for previous years can be found here: Country Reports on Terrorism.

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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