Terrorist attacks by region in South Africa

South Africa: Terrorist attacks by region was 15 in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
15
Change on year
down 11.8%
World rank
30th
of 187 countries
All-time high
271
in 1992
All-time low
0
in 2001
Years of data
29
1992–2021

Terrorist attacks by region in South Africa, 1992–2021

01002003001992200620211992: 2711994: 1741995: 321996: 471997: 171998: 61999: 172000: 212001: 02002: 82003: 02004: 02005: 02006: 02007: 22008: 12009: 02010: 02011: 02012: 42013: 132014: 202015: 52016: 272017: 292018: 412019: 232020: 172021: 15

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 15 for terrorist attacks by region in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.8% on the previous year and down 44.4% over five years.

Over the whole period, terrorist attacks by region in South Africa peaked at 271 in 1992 and was at its lowest, 0, in 2001.

That places South Africa 30th out of 187 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Terrorist attacks by region in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Terrorist attacks by region in South Africa, 1992 to 2021.
Year Value Change
1992 271 —
1994 174 -35.8%
1995 32 -81.6%
1996 47 +46.9%
1997 17 -63.8%
1998 6 -64.7%
1999 17 +183.3%
2000 21 +23.5%
2001 0 -100.0%
2002 8 —
2003 0 -100.0%
2004 0 —
2005 0 —
2006 0 —
2007 2 —
2008 1 -50.0%
2009 0 -100.0%
2010 0 —
2011 0 —
2012 4 —
2013 13 +225.0%
2014 20 +53.8%
2015 5 -75.0%
2016 27 +440.0%
2017 29 +7.4%
2018 41 +41.4%
2019 23 -43.9%
2020 17 -26.1%
2021 15 -11.8%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 15 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1, 15.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Terrorist attacks by region in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2016 +440.0% 5 27

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 80.57 6 271 7
2000s 3.2 0 21 10
2010s 16.2 0 41 10
2020s 16 15 17 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 27 Mexico 21 compare
  2. 28 France 19 compare
  3. 29 Central African Republic 18 compare
  4. 31 South Sudan 14 compare
  5. 31 Turkey 14 compare
  6. 33 Germany 13 compare
  7. 33 Sudan 13 compare

See the full ranking of 187 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is terrorist attacks by region in South Africa?
Terrorist attacks by region in South Africa was 15 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest terrorist attacks by region recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 271 in 1992.
What is the lowest terrorist attacks by region recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 2001.
How does South Africa rank for terrorist attacks by region?
South Africa ranks 30th out of 187 countries with data for 2021.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Terrorist attacks by region. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Terrorist attacks by region in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 14 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/terrorist-attacks-by-region/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Terrorist attacks by region
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
187 places, 5,394 data points, 1992–2021
Last refreshed