The devastating toll of terror attacks is laid bare with a shocking study revealing the number of people slaughtered worldwide has risen by 80 per cent in a year.
A total of 32,658 people were killed by terrorists around the world in 2014 - an 80 per cent increase on the previous year, according to the Global Terrorism Index.
Terrorism is also highly concentrated: just five countries – Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria – accounted for 78% of all deaths in 2014. Iraq continues to be the country most impacted by terrorism, with 3,370 attacks killing 9,929 people. This is the highest number of terrorism incidents and fatalities ever recorded by a single country. Nigeria recorded the largest increase in deaths from terrorism, rising by over 300% to 7,512 fatalities.
However, terrorism spread significantly in the past year. The number of countries that suffered more than 500 deaths has more than doubled, increasing from five in 2013 to 11 in 2014. The new additions were Somalia, Ukraine, Yemen, Central African Republic, South Sudan and Cameroon.
The economic cost of terrorism reached its highest ever level in 2014 at US$52.9 billion, an increase of 61% from the previous year’s total of US$32.9 billion, and a tenfold increase since 2000 .
The Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP), which produced the index before Friday's attacks in Paris, said the atrocity in the French capital had shown ISIS could now launch 'sophisticated and deadly attacks' in Europe.
The IEP's executive chairman Steve Killelea said: 'Terrorism is gaining momentum at an unprecedented pace.
'The Paris incident in many ways is a watershed within Europe. It shows that Isil has the capabilities to be able to launch sophisticated and deadly attacks in Europe.