Number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan

Pakistan: Number of terrorist attacks was 150 attacks in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
150 attacks
Change on year
down 49.0%
World rank
7th
of 188 countries
All-time high
2,215 attacks
in 2013
All-time low
0 attacks
in 1971
Years of data
51
1970–2021

Number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, 1970–2021

05001.0k1.5k2.0k197019952021

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

Pakistan recorded 150 attacks for number of terrorist attacks in 2021.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 49.0% on the previous year and down 85.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan peaked at 2,215 attacks in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0 attacks, in 1971.

That places Pakistan 7th out of 188 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, year by year

Annual values for Number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, 1970 to 2021.
Year attacks Change
1970 1 attacks
1971 0 attacks -100.0%
1972 0 attacks
1973 0 attacks
1974 2 attacks
1975 2 attacks +0.0%
1976 3 attacks +50.0%
1977 0 attacks -100.0%
1978 2 attacks
1979 7 attacks +250.0%
1980 1 attacks -85.7%
1981 4 attacks +300.0%
1982 4 attacks +0.0%
1983 9 attacks +125.0%
1984 3 attacks -66.7%
1985 2 attacks -33.3%
1986 24 attacks +1100.0%
1987 60 attacks +150.0%
1988 44 attacks -26.7%
1989 45 attacks +2.3%
1990 87 attacks +93.3%
1991 150 attacks +72.4%
1992 85 attacks -43.3%
1994 154 attacks +81.2%
1995 666 attacks +332.5%
1996 180 attacks -73.0%
1997 206 attacks +14.4%
1998 37 attacks -82.0%
1999 39 attacks +5.4%
2000 49 attacks +25.6%
2001 53 attacks +8.2%
2002 46 attacks -13.2%
2003 29 attacks -37.0%
2004 67 attacks +131.0%
2005 77 attacks +14.9%
2006 164 attacks +113.0%
2007 260 attacks +58.5%
2008 568 attacks +118.5%
2009 667 attacks +17.4%
2010 713 attacks +6.9%
2011 1,012 attacks +41.9%
2012 1,655 attacks +63.5%
2013 2,215 attacks +33.8%
2014 2,149 attacks -3.0%
2015 1,243 attacks -42.2%
2016 864 attacks -30.5%
2017 719 attacks -16.8%
2018 480 attacks -33.2%
2019 363 attacks -24.4%
2020 294 attacks -19.0%
2021 150 attacks -49.0%

Pakistan compared with similar countries

  • Pakistan's 150 attacks is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4 attacks, 37.5× the median. (21 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan 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
1986 +1100.0% 2 attacks 24 attacks

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.7 attacks 0 attacks 7 attacks 10
1980s 19.6 attacks 1 attacks 60 attacks 10
1990s 178.22 attacks 37 attacks 666 attacks 9
2000s 198 attacks 29 attacks 667 attacks 10
2010s 1,141 attacks 363 attacks 2,215 attacks 10
2020s 222 attacks 150 attacks 294 attacks 2

Countries ranked near Pakistan

  1. 4 Yemen 290 attacks compare
  2. 5 India 235 attacks compare
  3. 6 Myanmar 216 attacks compare
  4. 8 Syria 144 attacks compare
  5. 9 Democratic Republic of Congo 142 attacks compare
  6. 10 Somalia 125 attacks compare

See the full ranking of 188 places →

More reference data data for Pakistan

All data for Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan?
Number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan was 150 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 number of terrorist attacks recorded in Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 2,215 attacks in 2013.
What is the lowest number of terrorist attacks recorded in Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 0 attacks in 1971.
How does Pakistan rank for number of terrorist attacks?
Pakistan ranks 7th out of 188 countries with data for 2021.
Is number of terrorist attacks rising or falling in Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is down 85.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Pakistan 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 Number of terrorist attacks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan. 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/pakistan/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of terrorist attacks
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.