- New Global Witness figures bring the total killed and disappeared since 2012 to 2,375
- Just two South American countries – Colombia and Brazil – accounted for 52% of the 2025 killings
- In Asia, defenders are facing a rising tide of criminalisation and intimidation
- Globally, more than three quarters of those killed were small-scale farmers, Indigenous Peoples or Afro-descendant peoples. Indigenous Peoples accounted for 44 of the killings documented in 2025.
- Land disputes triggered more than half of the killings documented in 2025
At least 124 land and environmental defenders were killed in 2025, bringing the total documented killings and disappearances since 2012 to 2,375, reveals a new report by Global Witness published on 16 September 2026
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.
Colombia, for the fourth consecutive year, was the world’s deadliest documented country for defenders, with 39 killings, nearly half of whom were Indigenous. The second deadliest was Brazil, where 26 defenders were killed in 2025, more than double the figure from the year before. Other deadly countries included Honduras and the Philippines, which each had 12 documented killings, followed by Mexico with 10 killings and Guatemala with eight.
Land disputes were associated with more than half of the killings documented in 2025. Extractive and commercial interests also continued to feature in attacks against defenders: Mining and extractive industries were linked to 11 killings, logging interests to eight and agribusiness to six. Globally, more than one third of killings were linked to organised crime or hitmen. Actors linked to organised crime were identified as perpetrators in cases across multiple countries.
While documented killings were lower in Asia, the report highlights the widespread criminalisation and intimidation of defenders across the continent. Such criminal allegations, which are often amplified via smear campaigns on social media, aim to discredit environmental defenders, casting them as criminals and instigators rather than a frontline defence.
Communities and collective protection
Across regions, Indigenous Peoples and small-scale farmers were highly targeted. Global Witness documented the killing of 44 Indigenous people in 2025, including seven Indigenous Guards.
The report documents how communities across multiple countries use collective protection mechanisms as part of their long-standing defence of their territories, rights and livelihoods. This includes territorial patrols, early warning systems, community monitoring networks and community capacity building, which are supported by rich cultural and often spiritual practices.
Collective protection recognises that land and environmental defenders are rarely targeted as isolated individuals, and challenges the limitations of an individual and reactive protection approach, as collective protection is mostly preventive and life-affirming.
A harsh global climate
The global policy environment for the protection of human rights and those who defend them was seriously weakened in 2025, as the world saw an increase in authoritarian practices, violent conflict and unregulated corporate power, alongside a crisis in funding for human rights.
The report states that the unprecedented fall in foreign aid seen in 2025 – driven by budget cuts by the governments of the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and other traditional donors – impacted thousands of human rights organisations, drastically reducing the global pool of support to communities acting in the depths of rainforests and other secluded ecosystems.”
https://www.globalissues.org/news/2026/09/16/44059
https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/latin-america-deadliest-region-for-defenders-in-2025
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 
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