Countries where the most people are killed defending the environment

By Angelo Young
15 October 2022

(24/7 Wall St.) – As the world comes to the realization of the profound damages human beings are causing to natural environments worldwide, groups across the globe have long been trying to protect the local land and environment. In some places, these struggles are not always peaceful, and last year alone, 200 people were murdered for their work defending the environment, according to a recent report.

In some countries around the globe there have been violent clashes over land use, pollution, hydroelectric and other projects, and the rights of indigenous people. Climate defenders in these areas fight multinational agribusiness that continually encroach on land not theirs, wildlife poachers, and criminal gangs involved in illegal logging of pristine forests, to name a few.

To find the countries where the most people have died defending the climate, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on confirmed killings of land and environmental defenders around the world every year since 2012, published in the annual report by London-based non-governmental environmental justice organization Global Witness. Due to the difficulties of tracing every incident, these killings represent a massive undercount. We added population figures for the most recent year available from the World Bank. 

Global Witness has recorded 1,733 murders of land and environmental defenders from 2012 to 2021. The report also sheds light on who is being killed, who is doing the killing, and what sectors are fueling the violence. 

Of the 1,733 people confirmed to have been murdered for their activism in land use and environmental issues, 60% were either indigenous people, small-scale farmers, or both. An additional 13% of victims were park rangers or other government officials, journalists, or lawyers. The characteristics of the victims in about one in five of these murders are unknown.

Of those who committed these killings, about a third have been linked to armed forces, local police, or private military or security guards. About 27% of these perpetrators are categorized as hitmen or killers with links to local organized crime. The characteristics of about a third of these killers are unknown.

Mining and other related extraction activities was identified as the sector driver in 18% of these killings, while agribusiness, hydroelectric projects, and logging were the sector drivers in about one out of four of these murders. However, the sector drivers in half of these murders, 871, are unknown.

The most dangerous countries for environmental defenders are mostly located in Latin America. Seven of the 10 countries with the most confirmed murders of land and environment defenders are in this region. […]

5. Honduras
> Named human rights defenders killed, 2012-2021: 117
> Most common perpetrator: Unspecified (66)
> Population: 10,062,994

Of the five countries that have recorded more than 100 murders of rights and environmental activists, four are located in Latin America, including Honduras, which has one of the world’s highest homicide rates. At least 123 land and environmental activists have been murdered since the country’s 2009 military coup d’état, many of whom were killed opposing mega-projects on their lands. Among victims of this violence last year were Carlos Cerros Escalante, a 41-year-old indigenous land-rights activist gunned down in the town of Nueva Grande.

4. Mexico
> Named human rights defenders killed, 2012-2021: 154
> Most common perpetrator: Unspecified (64)
> Population: 130,262,220

Mexico, which ranks fourth based on the number of killings from 2012 to 2021, was the deadliest country for environmental activists in 2021 and named the deadliest by Global Witness. The reason is that these killings have been increasing recently. Last year, the country reported 54 murders linked to land and environmental rights efforts, double the number recorded that year in Brazil, the top-ranking country on this list and a significant increase from 30 murders in 2020 and 18 murders in 2019.

3. Philippines
> Named human rights defenders killed, 2012-2021: 270
> Most common perpetrator: Armed forces (99)
> Population: 111,046,910

The Philippines is the only country outside of Latin America to rank among the top five most dangerous for land and environmental activists. In 2018, it was the most dangerous, with 30 of the 164 reported killings of activists. The country confirmed 19 such killings last year, including the shooting death of chief Julie Catamin, a key witness in the defense of Tumandok tribe members who were detained and/or killed by police for their involvement in land rights advocacy.

2. Colombia
> Named human rights defenders killed, 2012-2021: 322
> Most common perpetrator: Private military actors (114)
> Population: 51,265,841

A rise in paramilitary groups threats and targeting of environmental activists who oppose fracking and other petroleum activities is one reason why Colombia is considered one of the most dangerous countries for land defenders. Last year, at least 33 people involved in indigenous and land use rights were killed by hitmen and private military actors.

1. Brazil
> Named human rights defenders killed, 2012-2021: 342
> Most common perpetrator: Unspecified (165)
> Population: 213,993,441

Brazil, the world’s seventh-largest country by population and home to most of the massive, environmentally delicate Amazon Basin, is the world’s most dangerous place for land and environmental activism based on the number of killings from 2012 to 2021. Indigenous right activists, who often oppose environmentally destructive activities by large enterprises, are the most targeted. Perpetrators include entities with ties to large landowners, polluting industries, illegal logging, and local authorities. [more]

Countries where the most people are killed defending the environment