Global Terrorism Index 2025: Rising Threats and New Challenges

Global terrorism is on the rise, and attacks across more countries than in previous times are being reported. The latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025 shows that 66 countries recorded incidents of terrorism last year as compared to 58 countries earlier. This is the reversal of almost a decade-long progress, with 45 countries experiencing a worsening of terrorism levels and only 34 countries improving. The four deadliest terrorist groups increased their activities, and fatalities rose by 11% globally. Meanwhile, the West is now facing a different kind of threat: lone-wolf attacks, constituting 93% of all fatal terrorist incidents in the last five years.

Key Takeaways from GTI 2025

• Sahel remains the epicenter of global terror, with over half of all terrorist deaths happening there.

• Islamic State (IS), which operates in 22 countries and accounts for 1,805 deaths, continues to be the most deadly terrorist group.

• With a surge of 90% in deaths related to it in 2022, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is the most rapidly growing terrorist group.

• Deaths caused by terrorism have decreased in sub-Saharan Africa, which is been facing lows since 2016.

• Terrorism on the Western continent increased by 63%, with Europe facing the highest increase.

• Violent hate crimes, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, are increasing across the globe. The US reported a 200% spike in antisemitic incidents in 2024.

• The conflict between Israel and Gaza creates instability, hate crimes, and terrorism globally.

• Burkina Faso, Pakistan, and Syria recorded the highest terrorism-related deaths.

• Changing Face of Terrorism

• Lone Wolf Attacks in the West

This examines how terrorism is changing in the West. For the most part, today’s attacks are carried out by individuals who have been radicalized via the internet, often through the use of social media, gaming platforms, and encrypted messaging apps. These self-radicalized individuals act alone, which increases the difficulty for law enforcement agencies to track and stop them.

The total number of attacks in the West rose from 32 to 52 last year, marking the largest increase since 2017. Attacks were reported for the first time in more than five years in Sweden, Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland.

An attack during Christmas time in Germany’s Magdeburg put that nation among Europe’s most terrorism-hit countries, placing 27th on the global enumeration.

A worrying trend is the increase in the number of youths getting involved in terrorism. In the UK, 42% of arrests connected to terrorism were of people under 18. Many young extremists are not members of any organized group but are influenced by online propaganda.

10 countries most impacted by terrorism in 2024: