The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has published its 35th annual report on journalists and media workers killed in relation to their work in 2025. The report documents the killing of 128 media professionals, including 11 women and nine accidental deaths. These figures confirm a worrying global truth: the murder of journalists has become an accepted tool of war, repression, and information control. The IFJ calls for the Member States of the United Nations to urgently adopt the IFJ-led International Convention on the Safety and Independence of Journalists to end the cycle of violence and impunity.

Credit: Eesha Iftikhar Qazi/IFJ.

For the third consecutive year, the Middle East and Arab World was the deadliest region for journalists in 2025. This was primarily due to the war in Gaza, Palestine, where a fragile ceasefire was only reached in October 2025. With 74 journalists killed - including 56 in Palestine and one accidental death in Iran - the Middle East and Arab World region accounted for 58% of all media professionals killed worldwide. However, media staff were also killed elsewhere: 18 journalists were killed in Africa (including seven accidental deaths in Nigeria and one in Burundi), 15 in the Asia-Pacific region, 11 in the Americas and 10 in Europe.

Download the annual report