As notorious as it has become, the Islamic State (IS) is not the world’s deadliest terrorism group, according to a think tank report.

The Institute of Economics & Peace says Boko Haram earned the distinction of killing the most people via terrorist attacks last year.

Based in Nigeria, Boko Haram killed 6,664 people in 2014, more than the No. 2 ranked terrorism organization, IS, which was responsible for 6,073 deaths. IS and Boko Haram were responsible for half of all global deaths attributed to terrorism, according to the Global Terrorism Index 2015 (pdf).

Boko Haram was ranked No. 1 in part because its terror campaign surged last year, when deaths attributed to the Muslim fundamentalist group increased by more than 300%. In fact, the Global Terrorism Index 2015 reported huge increase in terrorist attacks during 2014, most of which were carried out in the countries IS and Boko Haram are based: Iraq, Syria and Nigeria.

The report pointed out that the vast majority of terrorist attacks do not take place in the West. “Excluding the September 11 attack, only 0.5 percent of deaths from terrorism have occurred in the West since 2000. Including September 11, the percentage reaches 2.6,” the report said.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Global Terrorism Index 2015 (Institute for Economics and Peace) (pdf)

Boko Haram Ranked Ahead of ISIS for Deadliest Terror Group (by Dionne Searcey and Mark Santora, New York Times)

Since 9/11, Muslim Terrorists have Killed 49 in the U.S.; Since 2009, Non-Muslim Terrorists have Killed 44 (by Noel Brinkerhoff, Steve Straehley and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)

Islamic State (ISIS) may not be a Recognized Nation, but it Controls a Population Larger than Ireland (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)