Oman, Qatar, UAE and Kuwait continue to score zero and get the lowest rank in Global Terrorism Index

Muscat – Oman, along with the GCC states of Qatar, UAE and Kuwait, is least exposed to terrorism, reveals the 2022 Global Terrorism Index (GTI), developed by international think tank the Institute of Economics and Peace.

These four GCC states continue to score zero and get the lowest rank (93rd) in the GTI. Bahrain is ranked 65th, while Saudi Arabia 54th.

GTI stated that despite an increase in attacks, the impact of terrorism continues to decline. In 2021, deaths from terrorism fell by 1.2 per cent to 7,142, while attacks rose by 17 per cent, highlighting that terrorism is becoming less lethal.

Two thirds of countries recorded no attacks or deaths from terrorism – the best result since 2007 – while 86 countries recorded an improvement on their GTI score.

In MENA, deaths from terrorism have fallen by 39 per cent in the last three years. The region recorded an overall improvement in the impact of terrorism last year, with 16 countries improving and three recording no change. Algeria was the only country to record a deterioration due to an increase in terror-related deaths. This is the fourth year in a row that the region has improved.

Fatalities in MENA accounted for 39 per cent of the global total deaths from terrorism between 2007 and 2021. However, since the defeat of IS, the region’s share of the global total has dropped substantially, and in 2021, it accounted for only 16 per cent of total deaths, behind South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Despite 13 terrorist groups claiming responsibility for attacks in the region in 2021, 57 per cent or 727 attacks remain unclaimed by any known group.

In MENA, the largest improvement in fatalities last year was in Syria, which recorded 488 terrorism deaths, 236 fewer deaths compared to 2020, a decline of 33 per cent. The principal driver of these improvements was the reduction in attacks perpetrated by IS, which fell by 34 per cent.

The Index highlights that terrorism remains a serious threat, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 48 per cent of total global deaths from terrorism. Four of the ten countries with the largest increases in deaths from terrorism were also in sub-Saharan Africa: Niger, Mali, the DRC and Burkina Faso.

Following military defeats in Syria and Iraq, IS shifted its attention to the Sahel, with deaths from terrorism rising ten times in the region since 2007. The Sahel has become the new epicentre of terrorism.

The annual GTI, now in its ninth year, uses a number of factors to calculate its score, including the number of incidences, fatalities, injuries and hostages, and combines it with conflict and socio-economic data to provide a holistic picture of terrorism.