Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh has made notable progress in counterterrorism efforts, ranking 35th among 163 countries in the latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025. This marks an improvement from its previous position of 32nd in last year’s report.
The GTI, published on Wednesday by the Institute for Economics & Peace, assesses the global impact of terrorism using key indicators such as the number of incidents, fatalities, injuries, and hostage situations, alongside broader conflict and socioeconomic data.
Bangladesh’s current GTI score stands at 3.03, with zero indicating no impact from terrorism and ten representing the highest measurable impact.
This ranking positions Bangladesh ahead of several regional counterparts, including India and Pakistan, and below the South Asian regional average in 2024. The findings highlight the country’s sustained efforts in counterterrorism and security, contributing to a steady decline in terrorist activities.
Despite Bangladesh’s improved ranking, the GTI report underscores that South Asia remains the most terrorism-affected region, a status it has held for over a decade. This trend is largely attributed to escalating terrorist activity in Pakistan throughout 2024.
However, the overall regional impact of terrorism has decreased significantly over the past ten years, with notable improvements in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan remains the worst-affected country in South Asia and the second-most impacted globally, with a GTI score of 8.374. Afghanistan follows in ninth place worldwide, scoring 7.262.
Meanwhile, India ranks 14th globally with a score of 6.411.
Among the seven South Asian nations evaluated, only Bhutan and Sri Lanka achieved a GTI score of zero, indicating no recorded terrorist attacks in the past five years.
Nepal ranks 68th globally, making it the third least-affected country in the region with a score of 1.113. Bangladesh’s relatively stronger position highlights the effectiveness of its counterterrorism measures compared to most of its neighbours.
The GTI 2025 report raises concerns over a global reversal in progress, with the number of countries affected by terrorist attacks rising from 58 to 66 in 2024. This shift marks a setback after nearly a decade of improvements in global security.
According to the report, terrorism’s impact worsened in 45 countries, while only 34 nations recorded improvements. Additionally, the world’s four deadliest terrorist groups intensified their activities in 2024, contributing to an 11 per cent increase in fatalities from terrorism-related incidents.
Burkina Faso remains the most terrorism-affected country globally, despite a 57 per cent decline in attacks and a 21 per cent reduction in related deaths. It accounted for a significant share of global terrorism fatalities in 2024, followed by Pakistan and Syria.
Bangladesh’s improved GTI ranking reflects its robust counterterrorism policies, law enforcement strategies, and intelligence-driven operations.
Over the past decade, the country has taken a proactive approach to tackling terrorism by dismantling militant networks, strengthening border security, and implementing stringent anti-terror laws. Government-led deradicalisation programmes and community engagement initiatives have also played a vital role in mitigating violent extremism.
Despite this progress, security experts stress the need for continued vigilance. While large-scale terrorist attacks have significantly decreased, the evolving threat of extremism-particularly online radicalisation and small-scale attacks-remains a challenge.
To sustain its progress, analysts recommend that Bangladesh maintain strong intelligence-sharing mechanisms, enhance international cooperation, and invest in community-based counter-extremism programmes.
These measures will be crucial in ensuring that the country continues to reduce its vulnerability to terrorism in the years ahead.
