Mapped: The countries where a terrorist attack is most (and least) likely
Seventy-seven countries experienced at least one death from terrorism last year, a new report has revealed. Total fatalities for 2016, however, fell for the second year in a row.
The 2017 Global Terrorism Index, published today by the Institute for Economics and Peace, offers a guide to the countries hit hardest by terrorism – and most at risk from a future attack. Iraq, which was the location of seven of the 10 deadliest attacks in 2016, tops the ranking. It received a score of 10, where zero represents no impact from terrorism and 10 represents the highest measurable impact.
Iraq is followed by Afghanistan, Nigeria, Syria, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia – none of which are on the radar of most ordinary travellers.
Several popular holiday destinations, however, do make the top 20, including Turkey, Thailand, Egypt, India and Philippines.
The 20 countries impacted most by terrorism
Iraq - Global Terrorism Index score: 10
Afghanistan - 9.441
Nigeria - 9.009
Syria - 8.621
Pakistan - 8.4
Yemen - 7.877
Somalia - 7.654
India - 7.534
Turkey - 7.519
Libya - 7.256
Egypt - 7.17
Philippines - 7.126
Democratic Republic of the Congo - 6.967
South Sudan - 6.821
Cameroon - 6.787
Thailand - 6.609
Ukraine - 6.557
Sudan - 6.453
Central African Republic - 6.394
Niger - 6.316
After Turkey and Ukraine, France is the European country deemed most at risk, coming 23rd overall with a score of 5.964, followed by the UK at 35th overall (5.102), Germany at 38th (4.917), Belgium at 40th (4.656) and Greece at 46th (4.139).
The 10 European countries impacted most by terrorism
Turkey - Global Terrorism Index score: 7.519
Ukraine - 6.557
France - 5.964
UK - 5.102
Germany - 4.917
Belgium - 4.656
Greece - 4.139
Sweden - 3.756
Ireland - 3.141
Italy - 2.75
"The main positive finding shows a global decline in the number of deaths from terrorist attacks to 25,673 people, which is a 22 per cent improvement from the peak in 2014," says the report. "However, while the global numbers of deaths and attacks improved in 2016, other trends are disturbing. More countries experienced at least one death from terrorism. This is more than at any time in the past 17 years and reflects an increase from 65 countries in 2015 to 77 in 2016.
Two out of every three countries to feature in the report - or 106 nations - experienced at least one act of terrorism, while 77 witnessed a fatal attack.
"When examining the drivers of terrorism the presence of armed conflict, political violence by governments, political exclusion and group grievances remain critical factors," the report adds. "The great majority of terrorism is used as a tactic within an armed conflict or against repressive political regimes. It also demonstrates the risks of political crackdowns and counterterrorism actions that can exacerbate existing grievances and the drivers of extremism and terrorism. Both Egypt and Turkey recorded substantially higher levels of terrorism following government crackdowns."
The world's 15 most dangerous countries (according to the Foreign Office)
A total of 30 countries were given a score of "0", representing no impact from terrorism and a low likelihood of future attacks. It should be noted that numerous countries, including Suriname, Belize, and many Pacific island nations, do not appear in the study.
The 30 countries unaffected by terrorism
Benin
Botswana
Costa Rica
Cuba
Eritrea
Gabon
The Gambia
Equatorial Guinea
Lithuania
Latvia
Mongolia
Mauritania
Mauritius
Malawi
Namibia
Norway
Oman
Papua New Guinea
North Korea
Portugal
Romania
Singapore
El Salvador
Slovenia
Swaziland
Togo
Turkmenistan
Timor-Leste
Vietnam
Zambia
The worst attack in 2016 came on December 10, when suicide bombers attacked Palmyra, killing at least 421 people. A further 12 hostages were taken and killed in January 2017.
The truck attack in Nice, in which 87 were killed, was the 17th deadliest attack.
