Pakistan Tops Global Terrorism Index 2026

Pakistan has overtaken Burkina Faso as the world's most terrorism-affected country, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2026 released by the Institute for Economics and Peace. The report, which analyzes impacts across 163 countries, attributes Pakistan's top ranking to a surge in violence in 2025, when the nation recorded 1,139 terrorism-related deaths and 1,045 incidents, the highest fatalities since 2013 and marking the sixth consecutive year of increases.

The escalation stems primarily from the resurgence of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which carried out 595 attacks and caused 637 deaths in 2025, accounting for 56 percent of the country's terrorism fatalities. The group, the third deadliest terrorist organization globally, was the only one among the four most lethal worldwide to see rising deaths that year. According to the report, the TTP's expansion is linked to the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, which provided militants with safe havens and enhanced operational capabilities along the shared border. An estimated 6,000 to 6,500 TTP fighters operate from Afghan territory, enabling cross-border raids, with 85 percent of attacks occurring...