Colombia and Brazil deadliest countries for environmental activists, report says
A new report from Global Witness identifies Colombia and Brazil as the most dangerous countries for environmental activists, with Latin America accounting for 85% of global killings. The violence is largely driven by land disputes involving organized crime and illegal resource extraction.
Why it matters
The data underscores the severe human rights risks faced by those protecting natural resources in regions critical to global biodiversity.
Image source, ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP via Getty Images Image caption, Juan López was one of the environmentalists killed in Latin America recent years. The anti-mining activist was shot in Honduras in 2024.
Colombia has again topped the list of countries with the highest number of killings of land and environmental activists, according to an annual report by campaign group Global Witness , external .
Out of at least 124 activists killed globally in 2025, 39 were murdered in Colombia, followed by Brazil with 26.
Global Witness says that 85% of the documented killings took place in Latin America, making it the deadliest region for every year since the group started publishing its reports in 2012.
Most of the killings were part of land disputes and in many cases they were carried out by hitmen or members of organised crime gangs, the report states.
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