Colombia and Brazil deadliest countries for environmental activists, report says

Colombia and Brazil are the deadliest countries for environmental activists, report says

Juan López was among the environmentalists killed in Latin America in recent years. The anti-mining activist was shot in Honduras in 2024.

According to an annual report from campaign group Global Witness, Colombia has once again ranked first among countries with the most killings of land and environmental activists.

Of at least 124 activists killed worldwide in 2025, 39 were killed in Colombia, with Brazil next on 26.

Global Witness says 85% of the recorded killings happened in Latin America, making it the deadliest region every year since the group began publishing its reports in 2012.

The report says most of the killings were linked to land disputes and, in many cases, were carried out by hitmen or members of organised crime gangs.

For the past four years, Colombia has recorded the highest number of murders of environmental activists.

Global Witness's report says nearly half of those killed in the country were members of indigenous groups, while many of the rest were small-scale farmers.

Many indigenous groups in Colombia have formed their own protection systems in the shape of indigenous guards, who patrol their territory but do not carry weapons.

Members of indigenous guards are often targeted by illegal armed groups seeking to expand their territory to grow coca - the raw material used to make cocaine - or to carry out illegal mining.

Last week, Jacob Guachetá Zambrano, who was part of the indigenous guard in Colombia's Cauca region, was found tortured and killed.

Although the possible motive for his murder is still under investigation and the search for the perpetrator continues, indigenous leaders said murders, threats and forced disappearances in the area were common as illegal armed groups fought for territory.

Global Witness warned that Brazil saw a doubling of killings of environmental defenders in 2025 compared with 2024.

As in Colombia, Global Witness researchers found that in Brazil most of the cases they documented were mainly driven by conflict over land.

Outside Latin America, 12% of the murders took place in Asia, with the Philippines at the top of the list with 12 documented murders.

The group warned that although the global number of documented killings fell from 146 in 2024 to 128 in 2025, the figures were likely an underestimate because many cases were not reported.