The GTD, which documents over 200,000 attacks, shows that:
- From 1970 to 2018, about 20 perpetrator groups are responsible for half of all attacks where a perpetrator was identified. However, two-thirds of the groups were active for less than a year and carried out fewer than four attacks each.
- In terms of sheer numbers, groups motivated by separatist or nationalist goals have historically conducted a very high percentage of attacks, especially in regions like South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
- The number of attacks by Islamist groups significantly increased from the late 1990s onwards, with a peak in the 2010s, but they do not numerically outstrip all other groups combined since 1970.
- Therefore, while Islamic extremist groups have been responsible for some of the most impactful and deadly attacks, especially post-2001, when looking at the entire span from 1970, separatist and nationalist groups have committed the highest number of incidents. However, the landscape of terrorism has evolved, with different groups becoming more prominent at different times based on global political, social, and regional dynamics.
Grok