HOW MANY ISLAMIST TERRORIST ATTACKS HAVE THERE BEEN
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Executive summary
There is no single, authoritative count of “how many Islamist terrorist attacks have there been” in the sources provided; databases and analyses count attacks differently and focus on specific years, regions, or groups (for example, CSIS reports 140 jihadist attacks and plots in the United States from 1994–1 January 2025 [1], while a Europe-focused security forecast counted “at least 16 Islamist attacks” in 2024 on the continent [2]). Global trend reports note high-profile Islamic State-linked attacks in 2024–2025 and large concentrations of victims in a handful of groups, but do not provide a single cumulative global tally across time [3] [4] [5].
1. What the different sources actually measure
Different organisations count different things. CSIS compiled a U.S. dataset of 740 terrorist attacks and plots between 1994 and 1 January 2025 and identifies 140 as jihadist attacks or plots in that period [1]. A private security forecast cited at least 16 Islamist attacks across Europe in 2024 without attempting a broader global total [2]. Academic and index reports discuss deaths and trends (e.g., annual fatalities rising to 33,438 in 2014 then falling to 13,826 in 2019) but those figures relate to fatalities, not a simple incident count, and are aggregated differently by source [4] [6]. The available sources therefore measure distinct slices—plots vs. executed attacks, country-specific vs. regional vs. global, fatalities vs. incidents—making direct aggregation impossible from these documents alone [1] [2] [4].
2. Recent high-profile incidents shaping perceptions
Reporting in early 2024–2025 highlights several high-fatality, Islamic State-linked attacks that drive public and policy attention: Russia’s Crocus City Hall attack in 2024 (reported as Europe’s deadliest in that period) and the New Orleans vehicle attack on New Year’s Day 2025, which killed 14 and was described as ISIS-inspired [2] [1] [5]. These standout events skew perception of overall trends because they are extraordinarily lethal compared with more common small-scale or foiled plots [2] [1].
3. Concentration of victims in a few groups and years
Longer-term analyses note that five Islamist extremist organisations—the Taliban, Islamic State, Boko Haram, al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda—were responsible for more than 80% of victims of Islamist terrorist attacks from 1979 to April 2024, and that fatalities peaked in 2014 before declining to 2019 levels cited in one source [4]. The Global Terrorism Index material similarly describes fluctuations in attacks and deaths year-to-year and regional shifts, but does not offer a single cumulative incident total in the provided extracts [6].
4. Why a single global count is elusive
Counting “how many” Islamist attacks depends on definitions (what counts as Islamist motivation), inclusion criteria (failed plots, state vs. non-state violence, cartel violence excluded), and data quality in conflict zones. Wikipedia lists and timelines record incidents but are curated and vary in scope (e.g., timelines of Islamic State activity and lists of incidents in 2025) rather than producing a consolidated global tally [7] [8]. Official and analytical sources each cover partial domains—U.S. datasets, European forecasts, global indexes—so no provided source offers a comprehensive global incident count in the requested sense [1] [2] [6].
5. What the sources do agree on
The materials concur that Islamist terrorism remains a significant and evolving threat: Islamic State affiliates (notably IS‑Khorasan) demonstrated capacity for transnational high‑profile attacks in 2024–2025; attacks are geographically dispersed and often concentrated in a subset of violent groups; and analysts emphasize both inspired lone-actor attacks and organised affiliate operations [3] [5] [4]. They also report an uptick in Islamist-related incidents in the U.S. and Europe in 2024–2025 compared with immediately preceding years [1] [9] [2].
6. Caveats, agendas and what’s missing
Be cautious: think-tank briefs and government datasets have different incentives and selection rules—CSIS focuses on U.S. domestic jihadist activity and thus provides granular national counts [1]; private security forecasts highlight Europe’s exposure to influence funding and clients [2]; global indexes emphasise fatalities and country trends [6]. The provided sources do not supply a single consolidated global count of Islamist terrorist incidents across time; attempting one would require harmonising definitions and raw datasets not included here [1] [8] [6].
7. Practical next steps if you want a number
If you want a defensible total, choose scope and definition first (time period, geography, inclusion of plots/failed attacks). Then use primary datasets—e.g., national counterterrorism databases, the Global Terrorism Database, or the CSIS dataset for the U.S.—and document inclusion rules. The sources here point to candidate datasets (CSIS for U.S. counts; regional forecasts and global indexes for trends) but do not contain a ready-made global incident tally [1] [2] [6].