Nigeria Ranked as the Fourth Most Affected Nation by Terrorism, Following Pakistan, Burkina Faso, and Niger

Nigeria has been identified as the fourth most terrorized nation globally in 2025, following Pakistan, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) for 2026, released by the Institute for Economics and Peace on Thursday, March 19, indicates that Nigeria registered the highest number of terror-related deaths and attacks in the Sahel region for 2025.

According to the GTI report, approximately 70 percent of terror fatalities in 2025 were concentrated in Nigeria, alongside Niger Republic, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Pakistan.

Leading the list of the most terrorized nations is Pakistan, with Burkina Faso in second place and Niger Republic in third, while Nigeria ranks fourth.

The GTI report highlights that a significant portion of terror attacks in Nigeria can be attributed to members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram.

"Just under 70 percent of deaths from terrorism occurred in only five countries: Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)," the report notes.

It also mentions that Nigeria saw the steepest rise in terrorism-related fatalities in 2025, with a 46 percent increase, leading to 750 deaths. ISWAP and Boko Haram were responsible for approximately 80 percent of these fatalities.

The report further indicates that while five nations in the Sahel experienced declines in both death tolls and terrorist incidents from the previous year, Nigeria remained the only country in the region to observe an increase in these areas.

There were 237 additional terror-related deaths recorded in 2025 compared to the previous year, marking a 13 percent rise. During this period, 243 individuals were injured, and 171 incidents were documented.

"Nigeria has witnessed a consistent increase in deaths related to terrorism since 2022, with 237 additional fatalities in 2025 compared to 2024," the report states.

The rise in terror activities is accompanied by a growing trend of ideological and criminal violence within the country. ISWAP and Boko Haram accounted for 82.8 percent of all terrorism deaths in Nigeria in 2025. The escalation of Islamic State operations prompted U.S.-backed military strikes against the group in northwestern Nigeria at the end of 2025.

Additionally, the report indicates that Nigeria has been on the terrorism index every year since 2011, with civilians increasingly becoming the primary targets of these attacks.