Global Terrorism Index 2017: deaths decreased for the second year in a row

According to a global study, terrorism-related fatalities fell for a second year in 2016, even though more countries in the West were affected by the shift in tactics toward so-called “Lone Wolf” attacks.

The fifth annual Global Terrorism Index, developed by the Institute for Economics and Peace think tank, showed that deaths from terrorism fell 13% to 25,673 last year, and were 22% lower than the 2014 peak.

“The overall message is that the total number of deaths is lower,” said the Sydney-based director of research Daniel Hyslop. “The qualifier is that the number of deaths in OECD countries is climbing and spreading.”

The think tank’s Global Terrorism Index report found that globally, the number of terror attacks fell for the second year in a row – as terrorists targeted civilians in rich countries with less sophisticated methods of attack. More countries experienced at least one terrorism-related death in 2016 than in any other year since 2001, with 77 countries affected — 11 more than in 2015.

94% of all terrorism-related deaths happened in the Middle East and North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia. The report found that the largest reduction in terror activity occurred in Nigeria, where deaths attributed to Boko Haram fell by 80 per cent in 2016.

Terrorism is defined in the report as “the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious, or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation.” In Europe attacks cost less than $10,000 on average, according to the report.

"Although these gains are encouraging, there are still serious areas of concern. The future stability of Syria and Iraq will play a critical role in determining the impact of terrorism in the years ahead," Steve Killelea, executive chairman of the IEP, said in the statement.