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The drop in attacks and deaths helped improve the terrorism situation in many countries.

According to the Global Terrorism Index 2026, 81 countries showed improvement in their scores in 2025, marking the second-largest yearly improvement in the history of the Index. Only 19 countries recorded a worsening situation, the lowest number ever.

Three of the world’s four deadliest terrorist groups were responsible for fewer deaths in 2025 than in the previous year. Deaths linked to Islamic State (IS) fell by 12.5 per cent, al-Shabaab by 23.9 per cent, and Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) by 12.5 per cent. However, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), ranked as the third deadliest group globally, recorded a 14.8 per cent rise in deaths. These four groups were also active in fewer countries, dropping from 22 countries in 2024 to 16 in 2025.

Most terrorism-related deaths in 2025 were concentrated in five countries — Burkina Faso, Pakistan, Nigeria, Niger, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Together, these countries accounted for 70 per cent of all terrorism deaths worldwide.

Burkina Faso recorded the biggest fall in deaths, with fatalities dropping by 686, or 45 per cent. Niger also saw a major decline, with deaths reducing from 944 to 703. The decrease in violence in the Central Sahel region reflects changing tactics by JNIM, which has increasingly targeted supply chains to weaken state economies.

Pakistan became the country most affected by terrorism for the first time since the Global Terrorism Index began. The rise in terrorist activity has been linked partly to the collapse of regional alliances and the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Australia, Ecuador, Ukraine, the United States, and Austria were the countries where the impact of terrorism increased the most in 2025.

Globally, deaths from terrorism dropped from 7,714 in 2024 to 5,582 in 2025, a decline of nearly 28 per cent. The year also saw fewer large-scale attacks. The deadliest attack in 2025 killed 120 people, compared to 237 deaths in the deadliest attack of 2024 and more than 1,000 in 2023. It was also the only attack in 2025 that killed more than 100 people, while there were five such attacks in 2024.

The report also listed the 20 deadliest terrorist attacks of the year. The deadliest attack took place in the Sahel region on October 9, when attackers targeted a military position between Djibo in Soum province and Namsiguia in Bam province. More than 120 soldiers were killed, and another 30 were reported missing. The attackers also seized ammunition and military vehicles. Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) was responsible for the attack.

India moved up two places in the rankings and is now placed 13th on the Global Terrorism Index with a score of 6.428. India accounted for only 2 per cent of global terrorism deaths. Both India and Bangladesh recorded major improvements in the Index, with terrorist attacks falling by 43 per cent in India and 100 per cent in Bangladesh.