Global Terrorism Index 2025

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Terrorist Groups (Part 1: Introduction)
The four terrorist groups responsible for the most deaths in 2024 were Islamic State (IS), Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), Tehrek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and al-Shabaab. These four groups were responsible for 4,204 terrorism deaths, or 80 per cent of deaths that were attributed to a specific group. In 2014, these four groups were responsible for less than 40 per cent of terrorism deaths that were attributed to a group, highlighting the large global shifts in terrorism over the past decade. In 2014, most deaths were caused by Boko Haram and the Taliban, with these groups respectively accounting for 17 and five per cent of the global total. 

In this report, IEP consolidates data on terrorist groups and their affiliated chapters operating under the same organisational name. For instance, Islamic State (IS), also known as Daesh, encompasses both the core group and its affiliated chapters, such as the Khorasan Province chapter (ISK) and Islamic State West Africa (ISWA). When referring to a specific affiliate, the chapter’s name will be explicitly stated. 

More terrorist attacks were attributed to a group in 2024 than in 2023. Of the 3,492 terrorist attacks recorded in 2024, 64 per cent were attributed to a group, an increase of nine per cent from 2023. The countries with the most attacks not attributed to a group were Pakistan, Mali and India. 

Determining the most active terrorist groups by the deaths and attacks they are responsible for can be challenging. Many prominent organisations have affiliate groups or subdivisions that are still in partnership or partially commanded by a major group. In addition to this, it is not uncommon for groups to decline to take responsibility for the attacks they commit, often due to them occurring in areas of high conflict. 

In conflict environments, attacks resulting in either high or low numbers of casualties often remain unclaimed. For attacks with minimal impact, terrorist groups may see little benefit in taking responsibility, as such incidents could be perceived as failures, undermining their influence. Conversely, groups responsible for highly lethal attacks may avoid claiming them to prevent backlash from governments or local populations, which could hinder recruitment efforts and provoke intensified counterinsurgency operations against them.

The high level of unattributed attacks means that the total number of deaths for which certain terrorist groups are responsible is likely to be much higher than the officially attributed figure. It is possible to try to attribute these unknown attacks using a machine learning (ML) model. The model incorporates several factors, including target type, weapon type, incident location and date, and number of people killed in the attack. The model is then trained on all terrorist incidents where the perpetrator is known and then applied to the set of incidents where the perpetrator is listed as either ‘unknown’ or ‘unknown jihadists.’ 

Deaths attributed to IS, Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), and JNIM are much lower than the estimated total. Applying the model leads to a large increase in the number of deaths attributed to certain groups. For example, the total number of deaths attributed to IS would increase from just over 26,000 to just over 41,000, an increase of 58 per cent. The largest percentage increase for any group would be for AQI, whose estimated deaths would increase by 239 per cent. Deaths attributed to JNIM would also increase substantially, by 176 per cent. 

​Global Terrorism Index 2025. Institute for Economics & Peace. Sydney, Australia.