124 Land, Environmental Defenders Killed Globally in 2025
[Global Witness] 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 t
Global Witness data indicating that over three-quarters of the 124 land and environmental defenders killed in 2025 were small-scale farmers, Indigenous Peoples, or Afro-descendant communities highlights escalating risks around land tenure and resource extraction, with Colombia and Brazil alone accounting for 52% of killings. For African markets, this pattern signals potential operational and reputational exposure for agribusiness, mining, and infrastructure investors in jurisdictions where customary land rights are weakly documented or contested. Rising criminalisation of defenders in Asia also suggests tightening scrutiny of supply chains linked to disputed land, reinforcing the case for stronger due diligence and community consent frameworks.
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