Pakistan has ranked number one on the Global Terrorism Index for the first time, recording a six per cent increase in terrorism-related deaths to 1,139 in 2025, a report by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) said on Sunday.
The Global Terrorism Index 2026 provides a comprehensive summary of key trends and patterns in terrorism over the last two decades and ranks 163 countries, representing 99.7% of the world’s population, based on the impact of terrorism, including incidents, fatalities, injuries and hostages.
According to the report, Pakistan’s “strained” relationship with neighbouring countries, particularly Afghanistan, and rising armed activity from the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have created “significant security risks” for the country.
“Deaths from terrorism in Pakistan are now at their highest level since 2013, with the country recording 1,139 terrorism deaths and 1,045 incidents in 2025,” the report said.
The report noted that the TTP had emerged as the “deadliest” terror group in Pakistan and the third deadliest globally, adding that TTP attacks constitute more than 67% of total attacks in Pakistan since 2009.
According to the report, the Afghan Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan had “profoundly impacted Pakistan’s security and stability”.
“It provided the TTP with the means and motivation to significantly expand their geographic reach and operational efficiency, resulting in a considerable rise in violent extremism in the region,” the report said.
The report noted that this was the sixth consecutive year in which Pakistan witnessed a surge in terrorism deaths, although it also observed a slight decline in the total number of attacks in 2025.
However, it noted that the number of hostages rose sharply from 101 in 2024 to 655 in 2025.
It attributed the rise to the Jaffar Express attack, where 442 people were taken hostage, contributing to a surge in global hostage figures.
“If this incident had not occurred, the overall number of hostages would have decreased by 30% from 2024 to 2025,” the report said.
The report noted that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan remained the most affected regions, accounting for more than 74% of attacks and 67% of deaths in Pakistan in 2025.
Globally, the report noted a “substantial fall” in terrorism, with deaths declining by 28% to 5,582 and the number of attacks decreasing by nearly 22%.
Islamic State and its affiliates remained the deadliest terrorist organisation in 2025, followed by JNIM, TTP and Al-Shabaab.
“They were collectively responsible for 3,869 deaths, or 70% of all terrorism fatalities,” the report said.
Nearly 70% of terrorism-related deaths occurred in five countries — Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo — with Sub-Saharan Africa described as the “global epicentre of terrorism”.
The report also observed a “significant increase” in terrorism incidents in Western countries, with deaths rising to 57, a 280% increase driven by several mass-casualty attacks.