Terrorism in the EU: facts and figures
Europol – the EU agency for law enforcement cooperation – publishes an EU terrorism situation and trend report every year. The report provides figures on terrorist attacks and terrorism-related arrests in the European Union and is based on information provided by EU member states.
Terrorist attacks in the EU by type (2010-2021)
This chart shows terrorist attacks in the EU between 2010 and 2021. The figures include completed, failed and foiled attacks and are broken down by year and by type: jihadist / religiously inspired, right-wing, left-wing and anarchist, ethno-nationalist and separatist, other and non-specified. Figures between 2010 and 2019 include the UK.
EU countries reported the following numbers of completed, failed and foiled terrorist attacks between 2010 and 2021:
- 2010: 249 terrorist attacks
- 2011: 174 terrorist attacks
- 2012: 219 terrorist attacks
- 2013: 152 terrorist attacks
- 2014: 199 terrorist attacks
- 2015: 211 terrorist attacks
- 2016: 142 terrorist attacks
- 2017: 205 terrorist attacks
- 2018: 129 terrorist attacks
- 2019: 119 terrorist attacks
- 2020: 57 terrorist attacks
- 2021: 15 terrorist attacks
Figures between 2010 and 2019 include the UK.
In 2021 there were 15 terrorist incidents in the EU member states. The total number of attacks in 2021 was much lower than in earlier years, due to a significant decrease in the number of attacks reported as left-wing terrorism.
Between 2019 and 2021, 29 jihadist or extreme right-wing plots were foiled across the EU.
Terrorism-related arrests in the EU (2010-2021)
This chart shows terrorism-related arrests in the EU between 2010 and 2021, by year and by type: jihadist / religiously inspired, right-wing, left-wing and anarchist, ethno-nationalist and separatist, other and non-specified. Figures between 2010 and 2019 include the UK.
EU countries reported the following numbers of terrorism-related arrests between 2010 and 2021:
- 2010: 249 arrests
- 2011: 484 arrests
- 2012: 537 arrests
- 2013: 535 arrests
- 2014: 774 arrests
- 2015: 1077 arrests
- 2016: 1002 arrests
- 2017: 1219 arrests
- 2018: 1056 arrests
- 2019: 1004 arrests
- 2020: 634 arrests
- 2021: 388 arrests
Figures between 2010 and 2019 include the UK.
Between 2019 and 2021, 1 560 people were arrested in EU member states on suspicion of terrorism-related offences.
In 2021, the most frequent offence leading to arrest - among those reported - was membership of a terrorist group, followed by planning or preparing an attack. Other suspects were charged with financing terrorism, recruitment and incitement to terrorism.
Terrorist attacks and terrorism-related arrests in the EU (2021)
This chart shows terrorist attacks and terrorism-related arrests in the EU in 2021. The figures include completed, failed and foiled attacks and all types of affiliation: jihadist / religiously inspired, right-wing, left-wing and anarchist, ethno-nationalist and separatist, other and non-specified.
EU countries reported the following numbers of terrorist attacks in 2021:
- Austria: 1
- Belgium: 1
- Denmark: 1
- France: 5
- Germany: 3
- Hungary: 1
- Spain: 1
- Sweden: 2
- Total: 15
EU countries reported the following numbers of terrorism-related arrests in 2021:
- Austria: 24
- Belgium: 32
- Croatia: 2
- Cyprus: 6
- Denmark: 9
- Finland: 5
- France: 140
- Germany: 34
- Greece: 6
- Hungary: 2
- Ireland: 14
- Italy: 40
- Netherlands: 17
- Poland: 3
- Portugal: 2
- Romania: 2
- Spain: 47
- Sweden: 3
- Total: 388
France experienced the highest number of attacks (5), followed by Germany (3) and Sweden (2). Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Belgium and Spain reported one attack each.
The two fatalities recorded in 2021 were the result of the jihadist attacks carried out in Spain and France.