Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Nigeria

Nigeria: Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries was 448 attacks in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
448 attacks
Change on year
down 6.3%
World rank
3rd
of 188 countries
All-time high
713 attacks
in 2014
All-time low
0 attacks
in 1970
Years of data
51
1970–2021

Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Nigeria, 1970–2021

0200400600800197019952021

Source: National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in attacks.

Analysis

Nigeria recorded 448 attacks for terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.3% on the previous year and up 156.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Nigeria peaked at 713 attacks in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0 attacks, in 1970.

Nigeria ranks 3rd of 188 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Nigeria, year by year

Annual values for Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Nigeria, 1970 to 2021.
Year attacks Change
1970 0 attacks
1971 0 attacks
1972 0 attacks
1973 0 attacks
1974 0 attacks
1975 0 attacks
1976 1 attacks
1977 0 attacks -100.0%
1978 0 attacks
1979 0 attacks
1980 1 attacks
1981 0 attacks -100.0%
1982 0 attacks
1983 3 attacks
1984 0 attacks -100.0%
1985 0 attacks
1986 0 attacks
1987 0 attacks
1988 2 attacks
1989 0 attacks -100.0%
1990 0 attacks
1991 3 attacks
1992 11 attacks +266.7%
1994 8 attacks -27.3%
1995 1 attacks -87.5%
1996 11 attacks +1000.0%
1997 20 attacks +81.8%
1998 2 attacks -90.0%
1999 18 attacks +800.0%
2000 6 attacks -66.7%
2001 5 attacks -16.7%
2002 6 attacks +20.0%
2003 9 attacks +50.0%
2004 6 attacks -33.3%
2005 9 attacks +50.0%
2006 37 attacks +311.1%
2007 61 attacks +64.9%
2008 76 attacks +24.6%
2009 42 attacks -44.7%
2010 63 attacks +50.0%
2011 175 attacks +177.8%
2012 615 attacks +251.4%
2013 347 attacks -43.6%
2014 713 attacks +105.5%
2015 641 attacks -10.1%
2016 535 attacks -16.5%
2017 488 attacks -8.8%
2018 650 attacks +33.2%
2019 507 attacks -22.0%
2020 478 attacks -5.7%
2021 448 attacks -6.3%

Nigeria compared with similar countries

  • Nigeria's 448 attacks is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1 attacks, 448.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Nigeria 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
1996 +1000.0% 1 attacks 11 attacks
1999 +800.0% 2 attacks 18 attacks

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.1 attacks 0 attacks 1 attacks 10
1980s 0.6 attacks 0 attacks 3 attacks 10
1990s 8.22 attacks 0 attacks 20 attacks 9
2000s 25.7 attacks 5 attacks 76 attacks 10
2010s 473.4 attacks 63 attacks 713 attacks 10
2020s 463 attacks 448 attacks 478 attacks 2

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 1 Afghanistan 1,453 attacks compare
  2. 2 Iraq 547 attacks compare
  3. 4 Yemen 290 attacks compare
  4. 5 India 235 attacks compare
  5. 6 Myanmar 216 attacks compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Nigeria?
Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Nigeria was 448 attacks in 2021, according to National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 713 attacks in 2014.
What is the lowest terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 0 attacks in 1970.
How does Nigeria rank for terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries?
Nigeria ranks 3rd out of 188 countries with data for 2021.
Is terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 156.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries in Nigeria. Statizoid, drawing on National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/terrorist-attacks-fatalities-and-injuries/nigeria/

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About this data

Indicator
Terrorist attacks, deaths and injuries
Unit
attacks
Source
National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
188 places, 9,021 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

Total number of terrorist attacks.