No fewer than 128 journalists were killed across the world in 2025, with more than half of the deaths recorded in the Middle East, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has said.
The IFJ disclosed this on Thursday, describing the figure as an increase from 2024 and a worrying development for the global media community.
“This grim toll is not just a statistic, it’s a global red alert for our colleagues,” the IFJ General Secretary, Mr Anthony Bellanger, told AFP.
According to the federation, the situation was particularly alarming in the Palestinian territories, where 56 media professionals were killed in 2025 amid Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.
“We’ve never seen anything like this: so many deaths in such a short time, in such a small area,” Bellanger said.
The IFJ also reported that journalists were killed in several other countries during the year, including Yemen, Ukraine, Sudan, Peru and India.
Bellanger condemned what he described as the prevailing “impunity” for those responsible for attacks against journalists.
“Without justice, it allows the killers of journalists to thrive,” he warned.
Meanwhile, the federation revealed that 533 journalists were currently imprisoned worldwide, a figure that has more than doubled over the past five years.
China was listed as the worst jailer of journalists, with 143 reporters behind bars, including those in Hong Kong.
Authorities in Hong Kong have faced criticism from Western countries over the imposition of national security laws, which critics say have been used to suppress dissent.
The IFJ noted that its figures for journalists killed are usually higher than those of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) due to differences in counting methods.
It added that the 2025 toll included nine accidental deaths.
In comparison, Reporters Without Borders said 67 journalists were killed in the course of their work in 2025, while the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) put the figure at 93.
