Africa and Asia dominate global terrorism index as Burkina Faso leads rankings; Nigeria ranks 6th most affected worldwide

Key takeaways

  • Burkina Faso tops the 2025 GTI ranking with a score of 8.581, the highest globally.
  • African nations make up 6 of the 10 most terrorism-impacted countries in 2025.
  • Pakistan (8.374) and Syria (8.006) are the top-ranking Asian countries on the list.
  • Nigeria ranks 6th globally with a GTI score of 7.658, just behind Niger (7.776)

The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) measures the impact of terrorism based on incidents, fatalities, injuries, and property damage, assigning each country a score from 0 (no impact) to 10 (highest impact). In 2025, the index reveals a continued regional concentration of terrorism, with Africa and Asia dominating the top of the chart.

Burkina Faso emerged as the most impacted country globally with a score of 8.581, followed by Pakistan (8.374) and Syria (8.006). Other African countries on the list include Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, and Cameroon, marking a strong regional presence and signalling concentrated instability in the Sahel, Lake Chad Basin, and Horn of Africa regions.

Out of the top 10, 6 countries are African and 4 are Asian, showing how terrorism remains regionally concentrated across these two continents. Nigeria, with a score of 7.658, remains a major hotspot in West Africa, ranking higher than conflict-prone Afghanistan (7.262) and war-impacted Israel (7.463), reinforcing the persistent weight of terrorism in its internal security landscape.

Source:

Institute for Economics and Peace

Period:

March 2025
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