A consortium of researchers dedicated to improving the understanding of the human causes and consequences of terrorism

START data informs 2016 Global Terrorism Index

Institue for Economics and Peace bases report on GTD

The Institute for Economics and Peace released 2016 Global Terrorism Index this week. The report, based on START’s Global Terrorism Database (GTD), offers insight on long-term terrorism trends, socio-economic conditions where terrorism occurs, geopolitical and ideological aims of terrorist groups, and evolving terrorist strategies based on 2015 attack data from the GTD.2016 Global Terrorism Index

IEP’S principal observations included:

  • The overall global GTI score decreased 6 percent, with 76 countries improving their individual scores.
  • While it was the second deadliest year on record, 2015 saw the first decline in the total number of deaths since 2010.
  • ISIL and Boko Haram were weakened in their central areas of operation, but have expanded to new countries resulting in an intensification of terrorism in some countries.
  • The number of countries experiencing terrorist activity in 2015 halted a four-year trend of yearly increases.
  • The global economic impact of terrorism was $89.6 billion, constituting 1 percent of the total global economic impact of violence.
  • 2015 saw progress in countering terrorist groups through international coalitions.

Questions about the GTI should be directed to the Institute for Economics and Peace at this link.