Terrorism has become a pervasive global problem that continues to threaten the peace and security of nations worldwide. Despite the efforts of various governments and international organizations to counter terrorism, the threat remains. The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) is a comprehensive report that provides valuable insights into the impact of terrorism in various countries. In this article, we will explore the 10 countries most impacted by terrorism, according to the Global Terrorism Index.
Details about the countries most impacted by terrorism
Afghanistan
Afghanistan continued to be the country most affected by terrorism in 2022, maintaining its position for the fourth consecutive year. Nevertheless, despite this ranking, the country experienced a decrease in terror-related fatalities, with a recorded 633 deaths, the lowest since 2007. There was a significant reduction in terrorist incidents by 75%, resulting in 58% fewer deaths compared to the previous year. Although nine per cent of all terrorism-related fatalities worldwide occurred in Afghanistan, this figure is a decline from the 20% reported in the previous year. Civilians represented over 32% of these deaths.
Burkina Faso
In Burkina Faso, there was a surge in terrorism incidents between 2021 and 2022, with the number of attacks rising from 224 to 310, representing the highest number ever recorded in the country. Additionally, terror-related fatalities increased by 50% compared to the previous year, with over half of the 1,135 deaths in 2022 being civilians. Notably, Burkina Faso had the highest number of deaths recorded by any country in 2022, marking the first instance where the death toll surpassed 1,000 people.
Somalia
In 2022, terrorist attacks in Somalia decreased from the previous year. It recorded a fall of almost ten per cent to 299 incidents. However, deaths from these attacks rose by 14 per cent to 755 deaths. This is the highest number since 2019, reversing five years of consecutive improvement. This indicates an increase in the lethality of attacks. There is an average of 2.5 fatalities per attack in 2022, compared to 1.9 deaths per attack in 2021.
Al-Shabaab remains the deadliest terrorist group in Somalia. It was responsible for 733 deaths or 97 per cent of all terror-related deaths in the country in 2022. This is an increase of 23 per cent compared to the previous year, when the group were responsible for 596 deaths.
Mali
Mali recorded the highest terrorism-related deaths in the past decade in 2022. However, the number of attack decreased. The country has been focusing on restoring constitutional order and civilian rule following the coup in 2021. But security responses have been ineffective in protecting Malians from violent attacks. The situation is most dangerous in the north, center, and the capital city Bamako. Although the number of attacks decreased by 20%, the number of deaths increased by over 50%. It resulted in a significant rise in the lethality of attacks.
In 2022, terrorist attacks in Mali resulted in an average of 3.5 deaths per attack. In 2021, the average was 1.7 deaths per attack. This trend of increasing fatalities started in 2015. The government declared emergency in November, 2015 after the Radisson Blu Hotel attack.
Syria
Following the tenth anniversary of the Syrian conflict in 2021, terrorism in Syria has continued to decline. In 2022, there were 447 deaths related to terrorism in Syria. It marked a decrease of ten per cent from the previous year. The number of terrorism incidents also significantly reduced during this period. It halved to 197 attacks, which is the lowest level recorded in three years.
The deadliest terror attack in Syria in 2022 was the ten-day assault on Al-Sina prison. ISIS attempted to free thousands of their members who were being held in the prison. The attack resulted in the deaths of at least 154 Syrian Democratic Forces personnel and 350 assailants. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. It was the second deadliest attributed to any terrorist group in 2022.
Iraq
Iraq experienced 401 terrorist attacks in 2022, ranking second highest globally. But it was decrease of 54% from the previous year. This is a continuation of the trend of improvement in Iraq’s security situation.
The number of deaths due to terrorism also fell by 68%, with Iraq recording 174 deaths in 2022. Iraq’s overall deaths from terrorism have declined by more than 97% since their peak in 2007. The military remained the primary target of terrorist attacks, with 107 personnel killed. However, attacks against the military fell by 60%.
The number of civilian deaths also dropped by 81%, from 164 in 2021 to 32 in 2022, the lowest level in years. The northeastern governorates were the most affected by the attacks. Diyala, Sala ad-Din, and Kirkuk accounting for 51% of all terrorist attacks.
IS remains the dominant terrorist group in Iraq, accounting for 76% of all deaths in 2022. However, IS attacks and deaths have decreased by more than 50% in the past year. Deaths from IS fell by 71% to the lowest level since 2007. In January 2022, gunmen killed 11 soldiers in a strike on army headquarters, likely an attack by IS. It was the deadliest attack in Iraq in 2022.
Pakistan
The number of deaths from terrorist attacks in Pakistan doubled in 2022. It indicates a significant impact of terrorism on the country. This trend has continued for three consecutive years. It represents the largest year-on-year increase in the last decade.
The number of terror-related incidents remained steady, with 206 incidents in 2021 and 298 in 2022. But the average lethality increased to 2.2 people killed per attack.
Pakistan’s military has been the most common target of attacks. It accounted for 55 per cent of all terror-related deaths. Terrorism remains concentrated along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. 63 per cent of attacks occurred in this area. In total, deaths in this region accounted for 74 per cent of Pakistan’s total terrorism deaths in 2022. The Pakistani military has been actively working to disarm and eliminate terrorist sleeper cells.
Nigeria
Nigeria saw a decline in the impact of terrorism in 2022. The total number of deaths falling by 23 per cent, from 497 in 2021 to 385 in 2022. Similarly, the number of terrorist attacks recorded in Nigeria fell considerably, from 214 in 2021 to 120 in 2022. It marks the lowest number of terror attacks and deaths since 2011.
In 2022, the military was the most targeted group, accounting for 25 per cent of all attacks, followed by civilians at 24 per cent and law enforcement at 18 per cent. However, despite this, half of all terrorism deaths in Nigeria in 2022 were civilians. Civilian deaths increased by 78 per cent from 2021 to 196 deaths.
ISWA remains the deadliest terrorist group in Nigeria for the third consecutive year.
Myanmar
Myanmar witnessed a second consecutive year of increase in terrorist attacks, with 755 attacks recorded in 2022. It is the highest number in the past 20 years, up from 714 attacks in 2021. The number of deaths from terrorist incidents also rose by 27 per cent, from 326 in 2021 to 415 in 2022.
Government and political figures remained the most affected group. They were targeted in 30 per cent of attacks and accounting for 41 per cent of fatalities. However, attacks on civilians were more lethal.
The city of Yangon remained the center of terrorism in Myanmar. Almost 70 per cent of all attacks and more than half of terrorism-related deaths occurring there.
Niger
In Niger, terrorism had a significantly reduced impact in 2022. Both the number of attacks and deaths declined to the lowest levels since 2019. In 2022, 198 deaths were reported from terrorist incidents. It represents a 67 per cent reduction compared to the 595 deaths reported in 2021. The majority of the casualties were civilians, accounting for 60 per cent of the total. Niger was the country with the sixth-highest number of civilian deaths in 2022.
The deadliest attack in Niger in 2022 took place in the Diffa region. Gunmen killed 21 civilians in five villages in an armed assault. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Boko Haram and ISWA operate in the area.
Tillaberi province remains the region with the highest number of attacks and deaths. This region has been severely impacted by the Islamic insurgency in the Sahel. Its poximity to the unstable tri-border region shared with Mali and Burkina Faso has increased its vulnerability.
Summary
Terrorism continues to be a significant threat to the peace and security of nations worldwide. The Global Terrorism Index has identified the 10 countries most impacted by terrorism. Afghanistan remained the country most affected by terrorism for the fourth consecutive year. But the country experienced a decrease in terror-related fatalities. Burkina Faso saw a surge in terrorism incidents. Somalia experienced a decrease in attacks but an increase in deaths. Mali recorded the highest terrorism-related deaths in the past decade. Syria continued to experience a decline in terrorism. Iraq experienced an improvement in security. Pakistan saw a significant impact of terrorism. The number of terrorism-related deaths doubled in 2022.
