Counter Terrorism in Karachi. Photo: PPI (file)
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan has topped the Global Terrorism Index for the first time as the country saw a continued rise in terrorist violence, with terror-related deaths rising to 1,139 in 2025, a six percent increase from the previous year.
The Global Terrorism Index 2026, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), ranks 163 countries, representing 99.7 percent of the world’s population, based on the impact of terrorism, as measured by incidents, deaths, injuries and hostage-taking.
The latest report places Pakistan at the highest impact level, underscoring a deteriorating security environment driven by intensified terrorist activity and regional instability.
According to the report, Pakistan’s “strained” ties with neighboring countries, particularly Afghanistan, coupled with escalating violence by the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), have created “significant security risks”.
“Deaths from terrorism in Pakistan are now at their highest level since 2013, with the country recording 1,139 terrorist deaths and 1,045 incidents by 2025,” the report said.
The findings identify the TTP as the “deadliest” terrorist outfit in Pakistan and the third deadliest globally.
“TTP attacks account for over 67 percent of total attacks in Pakistan since 2009, and it is responsible for five times as many attacks in Pakistan as the second most active group, BLA,” the report said.
The group also stood out globally as the only one among the four deadliest organizations – Islamic State (IS), Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), TTP and al-Shabaab – to register an increase in activity over the past year.
