Nigeria has been ranked the fourth most terrorised country in the world in 2025, according to the 2026 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) released by the Institute for Economics and Peace on March 19.
The report places Pakistan as the most terrorised country, followed by Burkina Faso in second place and Niger in third, with Nigeria ranking fourth ahead of Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq.
According to the GTI, nearly 70 per cent of terrorism-related deaths in 2025 occurred in five countries: Pakistan, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The report identified Islamic State West Africa Province and Boko Haram as the primary perpetrators of attacks in Nigeria, accounting for about 80 per cent of terrorism-related deaths in the country.
Nigeria recorded the largest increase in terrorism impact in 2025, with fatalities rising by 46 per cent to 750. The report also noted that ISWAP and Boko Haram were responsible for approximately 82.8 per cent of all terrorism deaths recorded in the country during the year.
The surge in terrorist activity comes amid rising ideological and criminal violence, with increased operations by extremist groups. This escalation also prompted US-backed strikes targeting insurgents in northwestern Nigeria in late 2025.
The GTI further revealed that Nigeria remains the only country in the Sahel region to record an increase in both terrorism-related deaths and incidents in 2025, while five other countries in the region saw declines.
Data from the report shows that Nigeria recorded 237 more terrorism-related deaths in 2025 compared to 2024, representing a 13 per cent increase. Within the same period, 243 people were injured and 171 terrorist incidents were documented.
The report also highlighted that Nigeria has appeared on the terrorism index every year since 2011, with civilians increasingly becoming the primary targets of attacks.
