According to the report, 161 journalists were killed in 31 countries during 2025, a figure only slightly lower than the 179 deaths recorded in 2024.
The highest number of victims was concentrated in the Gaza Strip, where at least 60 journalists died, most as a result of Israeli military offensives. Since October 7, 2023, 221 journalist deaths have been documented in that territory, making Gaza the deadliest place for journalists today.
Among the most affected countries, the PEC reports the deaths of 15 media workers in Yemen, including 13 in an Israeli attack on September 10.
With nine killings, Mexico ranks as the country, not at war, where the most journalists have been killed, surpassing even Sudan, with eight.
Mexico is positioned as a violent country for journalists, primarily in the context of violence linked to organized crime, particularly drug cartels.
“When a journalist is murdered and the crime goes unpunished, this tragedy also sends the message that killing journalists is acceptable (…) it sends a chilling signal that the powerful can silence voices,” the organization denounced.
The PEC recorded six victims in India, five in Ecuador, and five in Pakistan. Four were killed in Bangladesh, four in Iran (the target of an Israeli attack in Tehran), and four in the Philippines.
Three journalists were killed in Peru and another three in Syria. These were followed by Afghanistan, Colombia, Honduras, Iraq, Lebanon, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the United States, with two deaths each.
Meanwhile, one death was recorded in each of the following countries: Brazil, Guatemala, Haiti, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tanzania, Turkey, and Zimbabwe.
By region, the Middle East leads with 87 deaths, followed by Latin America (25), Asia (22), Africa (15), Europe (10), and the United States (2).
According to data from the Press Emblem Campaign, two-thirds of the victims recorded in 2025 were killed in areas of armed conflict (108).
Impunity remains a serious problem for the PEC, which warns that in the absence of independent investigations and prosecutions, these crimes are multiplying.
The PEC also expressed its concern about the growing number of individual requests for support it has received from persecuted journalists seeking refuge, including those from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Syria, Turkey, and Sudan.
Unlike other organizations, the PEC includes all journalists killed in its statistics, regardless of whether their death is related to their professional activity, because it is difficult to prove that a crime related to journalistic work was committed without a thorough and independent investigation.
Source: animalpolitico
