According to the second edition of the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), there were almost 10,000 terrorist attacks recorded in 2013 representing a 44 percent increase from 2012, resulting in nearly 18,000 deaths representing a 61 percent increase from the previous year.
Terrorism in 2013 was dominated by four organizations; ISIL, Boko Haram, al Qa'ida and the Taliban, collectively responsible for 66 percent of all fatalities.
Over 80 percent of the deaths from terrorist incidents in 2013 were recorded in just five countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria. Iraq continues to be the country most impacted by terrorism with 2,492 attacks killing 6,362 people, which represents a 164 percent increase from 2012. ISIL was responsible for most of the deaths in the country.
The two most successful strategies for ending terrorist groups since the late 1960s have been either policing or the initiation of a political process; 80 percent of organisations that ceased operations ended this way. Only 10 percent of terrorist organisations ended due to having achieved their goals while seven percent were eliminated by full military engagement.
Many more people die in homicides than in terrorist attacks, with an individual being 40 times more likely to be a victim of homicide than be killed by terrorism, according to the GTI.