According to a report by WION, For the first time on record, Pakistan now stands as the world's most terrorism-affected nation, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2026 released by the Institute for Economics & Peace.

The Sydney-based think tank's annual assessment reveals that Pakistan suffered 1,139 deaths across 1,045 terrorist incidents in 2025 alone, pushing terrorism-related fatalities up by almost 6% compared to 2024.

The report highlights that Pakistan recorded 1,139 terrorism-related fatalities and 1,045 incidents during 2025, representing a death toll increase of nearly 6% compared to the previous year.

Persistent counter-terror operations and cross-border militant activity along the Afghanistan-Pakistan borderlands drove this surge in fatalities, making Pakistan the central global focus of militant impact while overtaking Burkina Faso.

This grim milestone represents Pakistan's deadliest year from terrorism since 2013 and extends an unbroken six-year streak of escalating violence. Until now, Burkina Faso had held the unfortunate distinction of leading the index, but Pakistan's deteriorating security situation has seen it overtake the West African nation in 2025.

The report identifies two primary drivers behind the surge: the Taliban's 2021 takeover of Afghanistan, which opened new avenues for cross-border militant movements, and the intensified operations of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan alongside the Balochistan Liberation Army. The TTP, in particular, has been singled out as not only Pakistan's most lethal insurgent outfit but also the third-deadliest terrorist organisation worldwide.

Geographically, the violence has been heavily concentrated in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, regions that have long been flashpoints for separatist and Islamist militant activity. Beyond the death toll, the human cost in 2025 included 1,595 injuries and 655 hostages taken during attacks.

The Global Terrorism Index, now in its thirteenth edition, assesses 163 nations covering 99.7% of humanity, using a composite score that factors in deaths, injuries, hostages and property destruction. Despite a global decline in terrorism-related deaths to a ten-year low, Pakistan's trajectory runs counter to this positive worldwide pattern.

Reacting to the findings, former Pakistani diplomat Husain Haqqani remarked that decades of nurturing militant proxies had finally come back to haunt Islamabad, likening the situation to keeping snakes in one's own backyard.

Agencies