At least 128 journalists were killed worldwide in 2025, marking a sharp increase from the previous year and underscoring what press advocates describe as a deepening global crisis for media freedom, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
More than half of those deaths occurred in the Middle East, with the Palestinian territories emerging as the deadliest place for journalists. The IFJ documented 56 media workers killed in 2025 as Israel’s war with Hamas continued to devastate Gaza.
“This is not just a statistic. It is a global red alert for our colleagues,” IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said, describing the scale and concentration of deaths as unprecedented. “We’ve never seen anything like this—so many deaths in such a short time, in such a small area.”
Beyond Gaza, journalists were killed in conflict zones and volatile regions including Yemen, Ukraine, Sudan, Peru, and India. Bellanger condemned what he called a culture of impunity surrounding attacks on journalists, warning that the absence of accountability emboldens perpetrators and endangers press workers worldwide.
The IFJ also reported that 533 journalists were imprisoned globally in 2025, more than double the number recorded five years ago. China again ranked as the world’s largest jailer of journalists, with 143 reporters detained, including in Hong Kong, where national security laws have drawn international criticism for suppressing dissent.
The IFJ’s figures typically exceed those of other watchdogs due to broader counting methods, including deaths not directly linked to hostile acts. This year’s tally included nine accidental deaths.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which uses narrower criteria, reported 67 journalists killed while carrying out their work in 2025. RSF said Israel was responsible for nearly half of those deaths, with 29 Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.
In Pakistan, press groups documented widespread harassment and violence against journalists, highlighting the global reach of threats to independent reporting.
