Nigeria Rises to 6th in 2025 Global Terrorism Index as Fatalities Increase Amid Expanding IS-Sahel Influence in West Africa
LAGOS, NIGERIA – Nigeria has risen to sixth place in the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), according to a report released on March 5, 2025. With a score of 7.658, Nigeria moved up from its eighth-place ranking in both 2023 and 2024. The report documents 565 terrorism-related deaths in Nigeria in 2024, marking a continued increase in fatalities over the past two years.
The GTI ranks Burkina Faso as the most impacted country globally, with a score of 8.581. Following Burkina Faso are Pakistan, Syria, Mali, and Niger, occupying the second through fifth positions, respectively. Other nations in the top ten include Somalia, Israel, Afghanistan, Cameroon, and Myanmar.
The report highlights the Sahel region as the new global epicenter of terrorism, accounting for 51% of all terrorism-related deaths worldwide in 2024. This region, encompassing Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, has witnessed a near tenfold increase in terrorism-related fatalities since 2019.
While Nigeria saw a decrease in terrorism-related deaths from a peak of 2,101 in 2014 to 392 in 2022, fatalities have since risen, with a 34% increase in 2023 and a further rise to 565 in 2024. The report also points to the expanding influence of IS-Sahel, which conducted 16 attacks in Nigeria in 2024.
Globally, the number of countries affected by at least one terrorist attack increased to 66 in 2024, the highest since 2018. The report also notes that 45 countries experienced a deterioration in security, while only 34 saw improvements, marking the first time in seven years that more nations worsened than improved.
The report also emphasized the volatility of counterterrorism results, pointing to Niger’s 94% increase in terrorism-related deaths in 2024, reversing previous gains.
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, according to a report released on March 5, 2025. With a score of 7.658, Nigeria moved up from its eighth-place ranking in both 2023 and 2024. The report documents 565 terrorism-related deaths in Nigeria in 2024, marking a continued increase in fatalities over the past two years.){kind=link}