Nigeria remains among the most terror-impacted countries in the world, ranking sixth globally in the 2024 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). The report shows a slight improvement from Nigeria’s eighth position in 2022, yet it underscores the country’s continued struggle with violent extremism despite its military strength.
According to the data, Nigeria has consistently ranked among the top ten most affected nations since 2011. In 2011, the country was listed as the eighth most terrorized nation in the world. The following two years, 2012 and 2013, saw the country climb to fifth position, marking an intensification of insurgent activity by Boko Haram in the Northeast. By 2014, Nigeria’s ranking had worsened to third, and in 2015, it reached its peak at second place, its most violent year, as insurgency deaths spiked.
Between 2016 and 2019, Nigeria maintained a steady fourth-place ranking globally, reflecting persistent attacks, particularly in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states. In 2020, the country dropped slightly to fifth position, and by 2021 and 2022, it ranked eighth as security operations reportedly weakened the capacities of major insurgent factions. However, the 2024 ranking places Nigeria back in sixth place, signaling that despite operational gains, the country remains one of the hardest hit by terrorism worldwide.
The 2025 Global Terrorism Index report also identifies Nigeria as the fourth most terrorized country in Africa, with a score of 7.66 out of 10. Only Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger fared worse, with scores of 8.58, 7.91, and 7.78, respectively. The index notes that the higher the score, the more terrorized a nation is. Nigeria’s score keeps it firmly within the most insecure cluster on the continent, ahead of Somalia, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Kenya, and Chad.
In West Africa, the report highlights the Sahel region, particularly Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, as the new epicentre of global terrorism, with a surge in jihadist violence that has overtaken even parts of the Middle East in fatality counts. Nigeria’s proximity and porous northern borders have made it vulnerable to the same regional spillover effects, sustaining its position among the world’s most affected nations.
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Despite this, Nigeria maintains one of the most formidable armed forces in Africa. According to the latest Military Power Ranking, the country is listed as the fourth strongest military on the continent, behind Egypt, Algeria, and South Africa, and ahead of Morocco, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Angola, and Libya. This ranking highlights the paradox of Nigeria’s security situation, a nation with significant military strength that continues to face recurrent insurgent attacks and other violent threats.
The report further shows that 2024 was marked by several deadly terror incidents across the world, many of them in Africa. The deadliest attack of the year occurred in Niger’s Tahoua region on July 21, when 237 soldiers were killed by extremist forces. Burkina Faso suffered a string of high-casualty attacks, including one in the Centre-Nord region on August 24 that left 200 civilians dead, and another in the Sahel region on June 11 that claimed 170 lives.
Nigeria also featured among the locations of the top ten deadliest attacks in 2024. On September 1, about 100 people were reportedly killed in Yobe State, while another 85 fighters died in Borno on April 24 during clashes involving insurgents. Other countries with major attacks included Russia, where 144 civilians were killed in Moscow on March 22; Iran, where 95 people died in Kerman on January 3; and Niger’s Tillabéri region, where 138 people were killed in December.
The persistence of such attacks across Africa, including Nigeria, underscores the continent’s deepening security crisis. The data indicates that West Africa now accounts for a growing share of global terrorism deaths, even as state militaries, including Nigeria’s, continue to record operational successes.
Nigeria’s mixed trajectory, a strong military power ranked fourth in Africa, yet a recurring presence among the top ten terror-impacted nations globally, captures the country’s enduring security paradox. While large-scale attacks have declined compared to the mid-2010s, recurring insurgent and bandit-related violence continues to shape the nation’s security outlook.
By: James Odunayo
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