Information on more than 200,000 Terrorist Attacks

The Global Terrorism Database™ (GTD) is an open-source database including information on terrorist events around the world from 1970 through 2020 (with annual updates planned for the future). Unlike many other event databases, the GTD includes systematic data on domestic as well as international terrorist incidents that have occurred during this time period and now includes more than 200,000 cases. Learn more

GTD DATA VISUALIZATIONS

The updated GTD WebGL Globe is an interactive geographic visualization, currently in beta, that plots the location and frequency of yearly terrorist attacks worldwide from 1970-2014. It was developed by START using the WebGL Globe open platform created by the Google Data Arts Team. Automated geocoding from the OpenCage Geocoder supplements the geocoding available in the public dataset.

Our updated 2020 GTD Heat Map shows the geographic concentration and intensity of terrorist attacks that occurred worldwide in 2020. Note that intensity is calculated based on the number or people killed or injured in each attack.

View GTD heatmap visualizations from previous years

Periscopic, a data visualization firm that promotes information transparency and public awareness, has produced an innovative, interactive tool that allows users to explore the impact and dynamics of GTD perpetrator groups. A World of Terror examines the 25 perpetrators that were most active between 1970 and 2013, visualizing their attack patterns across multiple dimensions including life span, recency, casualties, and geographic spread.

The GTD Data Rivers 2.0 application is an interactive visualization tool that allows users to explore patterns of terrorism in the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). The GTD Data Rivers aggregates information from the database and displays relative temporal trends as a stack chart.

FEATURED

Data Update: A Look Back at 2020

Data through 2020 are now available. GTD Program Manager Dr. Erin Miller provides a virtual lecture exploring the most recent terrorism trends found in the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). Twenty years after University of Maryland researchers began developing the GTD in 2002, Miller presents trends from the upcoming publication of new GTD data for 1970 to 2020. Topics include patterns of terrorism in the United States and around the world during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, developments in Afghanistan leading up to the 2021 collapse of the Afghan government, and the evolving geographic footprint of Islamic State-related terrorism.

A Look Back at 2020: Trends from the Global Terrorism Database

Learn to navigate and analyze the GTD

START has released the first in a series of training modules designed to equip GTD users with the knowledge and tools to best leverage the database. This training module provides a general overview of the GTD, including the data collection process, uses of the GTD, and patterns of global terrorism. Participants will learn basic data handling and how to generate summary statistics from the GTD using PivotTables in Microsoft Excel.

Additional START Datasets Now Available

Utilizing the Dataverse Network Project, START has created its own repository of datasets and databases on terrorism, conflict, and preparedness. This collection includes research funded by START as well as research for which START has been given permission to release. Users can read over detailed information about each dataset regarding its time period, geographic coverage, and sampling procedure.

Follow START on Twitter

For the latest developments in START research, general news about terrorism, and a "This Day in Terrorism" feature, follow the new START Twitter Feed.

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How do you use the GTD?

Thousands of researchers, analysts, policy-makers, and students use the GTD every day. In an effort to better understand the strengths and limitations of the GTD in practice, START would like to learn more about how the GTD informs your work. While we always welcome feedback on the database from users, we now invite you to let us know more about your responsibilities and how the GTD has been helpful to your efforts to better understand the causes and consequences of terrorism.