2025 Becomes One of the Deadliest Years for Journalists
World
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has released its final report for 2025. According to the federation, 128 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide during the year, including 10 women. The figure also includes nine deaths not directly related to professional activity. The IFJ notes that 17 additional cases were confirmed after December 10, making 2025 one of the deadliest years for journalism and once again highlighting the scale of impunity.
Since 1990, the IFJ has documented 3,173 journalist deaths globally — an average of 91 per year. Over the past decade alone, 876 journalists have been killed. At the same time, the federation published a list of 533 journalists currently imprisoned, with China remaining the world’s leading jailer of journalists.
For the third consecutive year, the Middle East and Arab world remained the most dangerous region for media workers. In 2025, 74 journalists were killed in the region, including 56 in Palestine amid the war in Gaza. One of the most high-profile incidents was a targeted strike on August 10 on a tent housing journalists near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, killing Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and five other media workers.
In Yemen, 13 journalists and media employees were killed in an airstrike on the offices of the newspaper 26 September, which the IFJ described as one of the most devastating attacks on the media in its history. Journalists were also killed in Syria and Iran. Meanwhile, pressure on the press continues across the region, with 74 journalists currently imprisoned, most of them in Israel, Egypt, and Yemen.
In the Asia-Pacific region, 15 journalists were killed in 2025, including in India, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Afghanistan. The IFJ drew particular attention to the brutal killing of Indian journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, who was beaten to death over his investigative work. The region remains the global leader in the number of jailed journalists, with 277 currently behind bars, most of them in China, including Hong Kong.
In Europe, 10 journalist killings were recorded, eight of them in Ukraine. The IFJ warned of a troubling trend of targeted drone attacks against journalists and their vehicles. The number of imprisoned journalists in Europe increased by nearly 40, largely due to repression in Azerbaijan and Russia.
In Africa, 18 media workers were killed in 2025, including seven who died in a traffic accident in Nigeria, which the IFJ classified as unrelated to professional activity. Sudan once again became a focal point of violence against journalists working amid ongoing civil war. Across the region, 27 journalists remain in prison, and national legislation in many countries is increasingly used as a tool to pressure the media.
In the Americas, 11 journalists were killed during the year. The most alarming situation was recorded in Peru, where four journalists were killed after nearly a decade without such incidents. Three journalists were killed in Mexico, and one each in Colombia, Honduras, and Ecuador. Six journalists remain imprisoned in the region, including in Venezuela.
IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger stated that 128 journalist deaths in a single year are not merely statistics but evidence of a global crisis, underscoring the need for international measures, including the adoption of a United Nations convention on the protection and independence of journalists.
For the third consecutive year, the Middle East and Arab world remained the most dangerous region for media workers. In 2025, 74 journalists were killed in the region, including 56 in Palestine amid the war in Gaza. One of the most high-profile incidents was a targeted strike on August 10 on a tent housing journalists near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, killing Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and five other media workers.
In Yemen, 13 journalists and media employees were killed in an airstrike on the offices of the newspaper 26 September, which the IFJ described as one of the most devastating attacks on the media in its history. Journalists were also killed in Syria and Iran. Meanwhile, pressure on the press continues across the region, with 74 journalists currently imprisoned, most of them in Israel, Egypt, and Yemen.
In the Asia-Pacific region, 15 journalists were killed in 2025, including in India, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Afghanistan. The IFJ drew particular attention to the brutal killing of Indian journalist Mukesh Chandrakar, who was beaten to death over his investigative work. The region remains the global leader in the number of jailed journalists, with 277 currently behind bars, most of them in China, including Hong Kong.
In Europe, 10 journalist killings were recorded, eight of them in Ukraine. The IFJ warned of a troubling trend of targeted drone attacks against journalists and their vehicles. The number of imprisoned journalists in Europe increased by nearly 40, largely due to repression in Azerbaijan and Russia.
In Africa, 18 media workers were killed in 2025, including seven who died in a traffic accident in Nigeria, which the IFJ classified as unrelated to professional activity. Sudan once again became a focal point of violence against journalists working amid ongoing civil war. Across the region, 27 journalists remain in prison, and national legislation in many countries is increasingly used as a tool to pressure the media.
In the Americas, 11 journalists were killed during the year. The most alarming situation was recorded in Peru, where four journalists were killed after nearly a decade without such incidents. Three journalists were killed in Mexico, and one each in Colombia, Honduras, and Ecuador. Six journalists remain imprisoned in the region, including in Venezuela.
IFJ Secretary General Anthony Bellanger stated that 128 journalist deaths in a single year are not merely statistics but evidence of a global crisis, underscoring the need for international measures, including the adoption of a United Nations convention on the protection and independence of journalists.
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