Brazil remains the most dangerous country for trans people. Despite a drop in homicides, it has held the sad top spot since 2008
In 2025, Brazil retained the number one position in the world for recorded murders of trans and gender diverse people. This is according to the latest report from the Trans Murder Monitoring Project, which maps violence against the trans community globally. At least 281 such deaths were recorded worldwide between October 2024 and September 2025.
A drop in the number of victims, but still the highest numbers in the world
According to data released by Brazil's National Association of Trans and Transgender People (ANTRA), 80 trans people were murdered in the country during 2025 - 77 of them trans women or people presenting as feminine and three trans men or transmasculine people. Compared to the previous year, when the organization recorded 122 cases, this is a 34 percent decrease.
Even this significant year-on-year drop, however, has not relieved Brazil of its long-held position as the country with the highest number of trans murders in the world. It has held that position continuously since 2008, when the Trans Murder Monitoring Project began systematically collecting data.
Racial inequalities and the role of activism
The report also highlights the significant racial disparities among victims. Up to 88 percent of those murdered were black or mixed-skinned. Approximately 14 per cent of the victims were involved in some form of activism, which the authors say shows the link between violence and public visibility and rights advocacy.
Progressive legislation is not enough
The paradox of the Brazilian situation is that the country is one of the most legally progressive countries in Latin America in terms of LGBTQ+ rights. Same-sex marriage has been legal here since 2013, queer couples can adopt children, and trans people are able to change their official name and gender without the need for surgery.
The Brazilian Supreme Court also ruled that homophobia and transphobia should be criminalized as forms of racism. Yet statistics have long shown that legislative protection alone cannot prevent high levels of violence.
The global context of violence against the trans community
The global 281 recorded deaths between 2024 and 2025 are unlikely to represent a complete picture of reality, according to the monitoring authors. Many cases remain undocumented, either because of insufficient statistics or the reluctance of authorities to record the gender identity of victims.
The report thus reopens the question of what factors - from social inequalities to racism to cultural stigma - contribute to the fact that trans women, especially those from marginalised communities, have long been among the most vulnerable groups in the world.
