2015, "lethal for terrorist violence in Europe" according to Aon

In its Terrorism and Political Violence Map, launched today, Aon Risk Solutions pointed to 2015 as the most lethal year for terrorist violence in Europe in nearly a decade.

These figures have to do with several factors, such as shootings overtaking bombings in the Western world for the first time since 2007 and a change in terrorists strategies, which are now more aggressive and aim at private citizens and public gatherings above anything else, with 31% of all attacks during 2015 having them as main targets.

This marks the first net increase in global terrorism risk ratings since 2013, and it also accounts for the risk ratings of 18 countries experiencing an increase, including Belgium for the second consecuitive year.  

Aon Risk Solutions director in crisis management Scott Bolton said: “Our 2016 map demonstrates increasing regional instability and a growing spectrum of potential risks.” 

He added: “The threats highlighted in the map should encourage business leaders with global footprints to adopt a more strategic risk management approach to limit the impact of attacks on their people, operations and assets. Understanding how they are exposed to the peril is key to achieving this outcome.”