Nigeria has climbed to fourth position among the world’s most terrorism-affected countries, as the Sahel region continues to dominate global fatalities linked to extremist violence, a new report has revealed.
The latest Global Terrorism Index, released by the Institute for Economics and Peace, shows that the Sahel accounted for nearly half of all terrorism-related deaths worldwide for the third consecutive year, reinforcing its status as the epicentre of global terrorism.
The index, which assesses 163 countries using indicators such as attacks, deaths, injuries, and hostage situations, recorded a decline in global fatalities to 5,582 in 2025 from 7,555 in 2024. Despite the drop, the Sahel region — spanning parts of sub-Saharan Africa — remained the hardest hit.
According to the report, terrorism in the Sahel has surged dramatically over the past decade, with fatalities rising tenfold since 2007, when the region contributed just one percent of global deaths.
In the latest rankings, Pakistan overtook Burkina Faso as the most affected country, recording 1,139 deaths and over 1,000 incidents — its highest levels in more than a decade. The spike has been linked to renewed militant activity following developments in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Burkina Faso, which had topped the index for two straight years, recorded a 45 percent decline in deaths to 846. However, the report noted that the drop was largely due to fewer civilian casualties, as insurgent groups increasingly targeted military forces.
In West Africa, Niger rose to third place after recording 703 deaths amid escalating attacks, while Nigeria moved to fourth with 750 deaths — a sharp 46 percent increase and its highest toll since 2020.
The report attributed Nigeria’s worsening figures to persistent insecurity and violent clashes between extremist groups, including ISWAP and Boko Haram.
Mali ranked fifth, with terrorism-related deaths dropping to 341 from 604 in the previous year.
The study identified the Islamic State group and the Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM as the dominant militant organisations behind most attacks in the Sahel. It also warned of a worrying spread of extremist activity դեպի coastal West African countries, with Benin rising significantly in the rankings.
While the overall global toll has declined, analysts say the growing concentration of violence in the Sahel highlights a shifting and increasingly complex security threat with far-reaching consequences.