The number of murders in Brazil's rural areas doubled in 2025. According to the *Conflicts in the Countryside Brazil* report, released this Monday (April 27) by the Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), 26 deaths were recorded in the country's agrarian conflicts—up from 13 the previous year. Of the 26 victims, 16 were located in the Legal Amazon region. Pará and Rondônia top the death toll rankings, with 7 fatalities each; it was in these two states that the two massacres recorded during the period took place, each resulting in three deaths.
Although the overall number of conflicts fell by 28% compared to 2024—dropping from 2,207 to 1,593 incidents—the data reveals that this decline in recorded cases did not signify a retreat of violence. On the contrary: the violence became more lethal.
Among all groups involved in rural actions in 2025, landless rural workers were the most active in their mobilization. In total, 72 land occupations and 9 encampments were recorded as part of a larger total of 100 acts of resistance—including encampments, occupations, and land repossessions—which account for a portion of the 1,286 land-related conflicts documented during the period.
Land disputes remain the primary form of rural violence: 75% of all incidents—or 1,186 recorded cases—are related to conflicts over land occupation and possession. Maranhão leads the list with 190 cases, followed by Pará (142), Rondônia (111), and Bahia (101).
The report also highlights an increase in instances of rural slave labor. There were 159 cases recorded in 2025, with 1,991 workers rescued—a 5% increase in cases and a 23% increase in the number of people liberated compared to the previous year. One of the most serious incidents occurred in Porto Alegre do Norte (MT), where 586 people were rescued during the construction of a power plant. Activities linked to agribusiness—crop farming, sugarcane cultivation, mining, and livestock raising—account for the majority of cases. Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Bahia, São Paulo, and Maranhão lead the rankings in terms of the number of workers rescued.
Meanwhile, conflicts over water dropped to 148 occurrences—the lowest figure in ten years. Nevertheless, with the exception of the Federal District, every Brazilian state recorded at least one case of dispute regarding access to or use of water. Indigenous peoples, *quilombolas*, small-scale farmers, and riverine communities are the primary victims in cases involving the destruction of water sources, contamination by pesticides, and the obstruction of access to water.
Popular Resistance Continues Unabated
Even in the face of violence, rural communities did not back down. A total of 502 acts of resistance were recorded in 2025, most notably the mobilizations against the "Devastation Bill" (PL da Devastação) and the "Temporal Framework" (Marco Temporal), as well as actions undertaken during COP 30. Indigenous peoples played a significant role, standing up against large-scale infrastructure, energy, and transportation projects that threaten their territories.
Produced annually by the CPT since 1985, the *Conflitos no Campo Brasil* (Rural Conflicts in Brazil) report is compiled based on the work of pastoral agents in rural communities across the country; it serves as a key reference for universities, media outlets, and both governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Learn more about the report:
Rural Conflicts in Brazil 2025
The year 2025 saw a 28% reduction in recorded rural conflicts compared to 2024, with 1,593 occurrences—down from 2,207 the previous year—according to a survey by the Dom Tomás Balduino Documentation Center of the Pastoral Land Commission (Cedoc/CPT), published in the *Rural Conflicts in Brazil* report this Monday (27). When compared to the last ten years, these figures exceed only those of 2017 and 2018, when 1,531 and 1,570 conflicts were recorded, respectively.
