In its 2014 Global Terrorism Index launched in London, the research group reported there were almost 10,000 terrorist attacks in 2013, a 44 percent increase on 2012.
These attacks resulted in 17,958 fatalities, up from 11,133 in 2012, with over 80 percent of the deaths occurring in just five countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and Syria.
Iraq was found to be the country most affected by terrorism, recording a 164 percent rise in fatalities, to 6,362, with IS responsible for most of the deaths.
Four groups: IS, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda and the Taliban were blamed for 66 percent of all fatalities.
But the report found that attacks had also increased in the rest of the world, with fatalities rising by half the previous figure, to 3,236 in 2013.
A total of 60 countries recorded deaths from terrorist attacks last year.
The report highlighted Angola, Bangladesh, Burundi, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Iran, Israel, Mali, Mexico, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Uganda as countries at increased risk from terror attacks.
Despite the global spike, the report stressed that the risk to westerners remained slim.
According to its figures, a person in Britain was 188 times more likely to be victim of a
murder, and in the US 64 times more likely.
