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.
Global Witness says that 85% of the documented killings took place in Latin America.
Almost half of those killed in the country were members of indigenous groups, while many of the remaining ones were small-scale farmers, Global Witness's report says.
Global Witness said that Brazil had seen a doubling of killings of environmental defenders in 2025 compared to 2024.
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Global Witness says 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. Global Witness said Brazil had seen a doubling of killings of environmental defenders in 2025 compared to 2024.
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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.
Colombia has accounted for the highest number of murders of environmental activists for the past four years.
Almost half of those killed in the country were members of indigenous groups, while many of the remaining ones were small-scale farmers, Global Witness's report says.
Last week, Jacob Guachetá Zambrano was found tortured and killed.
Global Witness said that Brazil had seen a doubling of killings of environmental defenders in 2025 compared to 2024.
As in Colombia, in Brazil most of the cases the group documented were primarily driven by conflict over land, Global Witness's researchers found.
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