According to the findings from the Global Terrorism Index, the global number of deaths relating to terrorism have fallen by 59 percent since 2014.
In a statement from the Institute for Economies and Peace, a Sydney based think-tank, "Despite the overall fall in the global impact of terrorism, it remains a significant and serious threat in many countries", adding that Western Europe, North America and Oceania have seen the sharpest increase in terror deaths (approximately a 250 percent rise) which constitutes as the most significant increase "at any time in the last 50 years".
The Global Terrorism Index forecasts that this adverse trend will continue to perpetuate across Western countries, citing the prevalence of "political instability and violence" caused by the socio-economic impact of the pandemic.
The report also highlights that attacks from unaffiliated individuals from the far-right are increasingly likely, as more than 60 percent of the attacks in the past five decades can not be attributed to any specific terrorist group or organisation.
The report stresses that "This does not mean that far-right terrorists have no contact with extremist organisations", adding that "Contact with likeminded individuals can be a significant factor in the radicalisation process".
Furthermore, a whopping 96 percent of all terror-related casualties are still taking place in conflict-prone countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Nigeria and Somalia.
The report highlights that as countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom significantly cut their overseas aid to balance their domestic pandemic spending, “reductions in international assistance for counter-terrorism operations [could be] counter-productive".
The GTI report ranked Afghanistan at number 1 for terror-related deaths. The U.S. (29) and U.K. (30) were the highest ranked Western countries, closely followed by France (38).
The rise in inter-faith violence (especially against the Muslim community) across European countries could lead to the marginalisation of religious communities, forcing countless individuals towards the brink of violence.