At Least 124 Land and Environmental Defenders Killed Globally in 2025

Sep 16, 2026
Global Witness
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Of all killings documented in 2025, 85% took place in Latin America, which has ranked as the world’s deadliest region for environmental defenders every year since Global Witness began publishing its annual report in 2012. Globally, more than three-quarters of those killed were small-scale farmers, Indigenous Peoples or Afro-descendant Peoples. Killings took place across Latin America, Asia and Africa.