The Global Terrorism Index 2026 report issued by the Institute for Economics and Peace revealed that terrorist hotspots continue to be concentrated in the African continent, particularly in the Sahel region.

The report explained that the Sahel region in the African continent has become the global center of gravity for terrorist activity, despite the decline in the total number of attacks and victims worldwide.

Burkina Faso is at the forefront of the scene.

According to the aforementioned report, Burkina Faso came first among African countries and was the most affected by terrorism globally, and second in the world, followed by Niger, Nigeria, Mali and Somalia.

He also pointed out that the African continent includes 6 of the top 10 countries on the global terrorism index, which confirms that sub-Saharan Africa has become a major hotspot for terrorist activity in recent years.

Countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Mozambique and Benin were among the most affected, while Egypt ranked 32nd globally, among countries with a medium impact.

In a positive development, the index recorded a significant decline in global terrorism rates during 2025, with the number of deaths decreasing by 28% to reach 5582 deaths, and the number of attacks decreasing by approximately 22%.

Also, approximately 70% of terrorism-related deaths were concentrated in just five countries, including three African countries: Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Niger.

The Sahel region alone accounts for more than half of the world’s terrorism victims, due to weak state control over borders, the spread of armed groups, and the overlap of economic and political crises.

List of African countries in the terrorism index

The African countries ranked in the 2026 Global Terrorism Index as follows:

Burkina Faso

Niger

Nigeria

financial

Somalia

Democratic Republic of Congo

Cameroon

Mozambique

Benin

Kenya

Chad

Togo

Egypt

Burundi

Uganda

Algeria

Tunisia

Angola

Senegal

Libya

Djibouti

Tanzania

Ivory Coast

Central Africa

Ethiopia

Eswatini

The following countries were not affected by terrorism:

Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Gambia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Republic of Congo.