Terrorism deaths in Nigeria
Nigeria: Terrorism deaths was 1,493 deaths in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Terrorism deaths in Nigeria, 1970–2021
Source: National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
Nigeria recorded 1,493 deaths for terrorism deaths in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 29.0% on the previous year and up 234.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, terrorism deaths in Nigeria peaked at 7,775 deaths in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0 deaths, in 1970.
Nigeria ranks 2nd 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.
Terrorism deaths in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1971 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1972 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1973 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1974 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1975 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1976 | 3 deaths | — |
| 1977 | 0 deaths | -100.0% |
| 1978 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1979 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1980 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1981 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1982 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1983 | 1 deaths | — |
| 1984 | 0 deaths | -100.0% |
| 1985 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1986 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1987 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1988 | 4 deaths | — |
| 1989 | 0 deaths | -100.0% |
| 1990 | 0 deaths | — |
| 1991 | 10 deaths | — |
| 1992 | 135 deaths | +1250.0% |
| 1994 | 15 deaths | -88.9% |
| 1995 | 1 deaths | -93.3% |
| 1996 | 24 deaths | +2300.0% |
| 1997 | 107 deaths | +345.8% |
| 1998 | 9 deaths | -91.6% |
| 1999 | 134 deaths | +1388.9% |
| 2000 | 0 deaths | -100.0% |
| 2001 | 3 deaths | — |
| 2002 | 28 deaths | +833.3% |
| 2003 | 28 deaths | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 41 deaths | +46.4% |
| 2005 | 19 deaths | -53.7% |
| 2006 | 254 deaths | +1236.8% |
| 2007 | 82 deaths | -67.7% |
| 2008 | 72 deaths | -12.2% |
| 2009 | 316 deaths | +338.9% |
| 2010 | 117 deaths | -63.0% |
| 2011 | 447 deaths | +282.1% |
| 2012 | 1,506 deaths | +236.9% |
| 2013 | 2,015 deaths | +33.8% |
| 2014 | 7,775 deaths | +285.9% |
| 2015 | 5,567 deaths | -28.4% |
| 2016 | 2,174 deaths | -60.9% |
| 2017 | 1,809 deaths | -16.8% |
| 2018 | 2,577 deaths | +42.5% |
| 2019 | 1,718 deaths | -33.3% |
| 2020 | 2,102 deaths | +22.4% |
| 2021 | 1,493 deaths | -29.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Terrorism deaths 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +2300.0% | 1 deaths | 24 deaths |
| 1999 | +1388.9% | 9 deaths | 134 deaths |
| 1992 | +1250.0% | 10 deaths | 135 deaths |
| 2006 | +1236.8% | 19 deaths | 254 deaths |
| 2002 | +833.3% | 3 deaths | 28 deaths |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.3 deaths | 0 deaths | 3 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5 deaths | 0 deaths | 4 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 48.33 deaths | 0 deaths | 135 deaths | 9 |
| 2000s | 84.3 deaths | 0 deaths | 316 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,570 deaths | 117 deaths | 7,775 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,798 deaths | 1,493 deaths | 2,102 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 1 Afghanistan 4,337 deaths compare
- 3 Yemen 859 deaths compare
- 4 Democratic Republic of Congo 689 deaths compare
- 5 Ethiopia 488 deaths compare
More health data for Nigeria
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8137 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,301 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 257,921 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 14 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0711 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is terrorism deaths in Nigeria?
- Terrorism deaths in Nigeria was 1,493 deaths 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 terrorism deaths recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 7,775 deaths in 2014.
- What is the lowest terrorism deaths recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 deaths in 1970.
- How does Nigeria rank for terrorism deaths?
- Nigeria ranks 2nd out of 188 countries with data for 2021.
- Is terrorism deaths rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 234.0%. 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 Terrorism deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Confirmed deaths, including all victims and attackers who died because of a terrorist attack.