Islamic State - Statistics & Facts

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, known by its Arabic acronym Daesh, originated as Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad in 1999. Originally allied to al-Qaeda, the group rose to global prominence during the civil war in Syria and conflicts in Iraq in the early 2010s. In 2020, it's terroristic activity resulted in more than 700 fatalities worldwide, which was way less than fatalities in attacks committed by the Taliban, Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, and three other terrorist groups.

The fall of ISIS in Iraq and Syria

ISIS declared a caliphate in 2014 with Raqqa as its capital after having conquered large areas in Syria and Iraq. At its zenith, the terrorist organization controlled a total area stretching around 100,000 square kilometers across the two countries. However, as U.S. and Russian military supported the fight against ISIS since 2015, it started to lose control of its territory, a trend also reflected in the declining number of people killed by the group. At its height, a number of people from Western countries travelled to join the organization's ranks, and there is an ongoing debate in many countries on what to do with the returnees and whether the foreign fighters left in Iraq and Syria should be repatriated.

ISIS today

Although ISIS initially established itself in the Middle East, it has claimed responsibility for attacks outside of the Middle East such as the Paris shootings in November 2015. After the group lost much of its territory in Syria and Iraq, it has now started to become more active in African countries such as Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Central African Republic. However, the Islamic State Khorasan, based in Afghanistan, committed the singe deadliest terrorist attack worldwide in 2021.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Sep 28, 2022

Key insights

Number of fatalities in attacks by ISIS in DR Congo in 2021
1,600
Number of ISIL attacks in 2020
389
The Islamic State stood behind the second deadliest terrorist attack in 2022
154 fatalities
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