Youth involvement in terrorism grows significantly across Europe and North America
In 2025, youth and minors accounted for 42% of all terror-related investigations in Europe and North America, a threefold increase since 2021.
Minors and young adults constituted 42% of all terror-related investigations in Europe and North America in 2025, highlighting a significant rise in recruitment and radicalisation.
“The involvement of minors in terrorism is a pressing security concern, with recruitment observed in children as young as eight,” stated the Institute for Economics and Peace.
Key developments
The Institute for Economics and Peace’s Global Terrorism Index 2026 highlights a concerning trend: minors and young adults now represent 42% of all terror-related investigations in Europe and North America, a significant rise from 2021.
The study indicates a shift in radicalisation timelines. Previously requiring months or years, the process can now be completed within days, raising alarms about the speed of ideological indoctrination.
Political polarisation and rising antisemitic violence are noted as factors contributing to the ongoing threat of terrorism, particularly concerning the vulnerability of youth to extremist ideologies.
Youth involved in nearly half of terrorism probes in Europe and North America, study finds
Despite the overall impact of terrorism in the West being lower now than a decade ago, the involvement of minors and young adults “has become one of the most pressing security concerns“, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace’s Global Terrorism Index 2026.
The radicalisation process is now quicker than ever. Historically, what used to take months or even years can now take place within weeks or even days.
“While the primary target demographic for terrorist networks spans youths aged 15 to 25, active recruitment and ideological indoctrination have been documented in children as young as eight years old,” the study noted.
Youth and minors accounted for 42% of all terror-related investigations in Europe and North America in 2025, a threefold increase since 2021.
In 2024, teenagers were involved in nearly two-thirds of Islamic State-linked arrests in Europe.
For instance, the Belgian intelligence service (VSSE) reported that one-third of its terrorist investigations between 2022 and 2024 concerned minors.
Political polarisation, rising antisemitic violence, and the rapid online radicalisation of young people continue to create an ongoing environment where terrorism remains a serious threat.
How has terrorism evolved in Europe over the past two decades?
The Western and Central Europe region had the second-lowest average impact of terrorism in 2025, registering 14 terrorism-related deaths and 51 incidents. This is a drop from 2024, which had 25 deaths and 81 incidents.
Germany experienced the most deaths and injuries from terrorism in the region, with six deaths from five terrorist attacks.
The largest attack occurred in Munich in February 2025, when a 24-year-old man drove a car into a protest rally, killing two and injuring at least 39 people.
Germany has recorded 221 attacks and 53 deaths from terrorism since 2011.
Meanwhile, in France, there have been 281 fatalities from terrorist attacks since 2007.
In 2025, the country experienced 12 terrorist attacks resulting in the deaths of four people, with 18 more injured. It is the highest number of attacks and injuries since 2020.
Yet, the overall impact remains medium for Germany and low for France and Greece, with the three countries ranking 29th, 35th, and 40th, respectively, out of the whole world.
In fact, Austria was the EU country where the impact of terrorism increased the most in 2025.
Czechia recorded the largest improvement on the Index in the region.
The country has largely been free of terrorist attacks over the past 15 years, with just six incidents recorded since 2011.
No incident in that period other than the 2023 mass shooting resulted in any fatalities.