A 2025 CIMI report warns of the rise in territorial conflicts, murders, suicides, infant mortality, and failures by the Brazilian government.
Violence against indigenous peoples in Brazil intensified in 2025. This is revealed in the report “Violence Against Indigenous Peoples in Brazil: Data from 2025”, prepared by the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI), which documents a situation marked by an increase in territorial conflicts, murders, suicides, infant mortality, and invasions of indigenous lands.
The report warns that this reality cannot be understood in isolation from the attacks on the territorial rights of indigenous peoples and the stagnation of demarcation processes. Added to this are political and economic pressures to expand activities such as mining, hydrocarbon extraction, and the construction of major infrastructure projects on indigenous territories and in their areas of influence.
169 Territorial Conflicts in 23 States
One of the main indicators of the situation is the rise in conflicts related to territorial rights. In 2025, CIMI recorded 169 cases in 23 Brazilian states, affecting 143 indigenous territories. Nearly two-thirds of these territories are areas where regularization remains pending or where the government has not yet taken the necessary steps to move forward with their demarcation.
Of the 1,443 indigenous lands and territorial claims identified in Brazil, 897 are still awaiting some form of administrative regularization. In 582 cases, the demarcation process has not yet begun.
Although some progress was made in 2025—such as the publication of identification reports, declaratory decrees, and the official recognition of new territories—CIMI notes that these efforts remain insufficient given the magnitude of indigenous demands.
The situation was exacerbated by the ongoing legal dispute surrounding Law 14,701/2023, known as the Temporary Framework Law, which includes provisions challenged by indigenous organizations and which, according to the report, may hinder the protection and demarcation of their territories.
Invasions and Destruction of Territories
Pressure on already recognized territories has not subsided either. The report documented 210 cases of invasions, illegal exploitation of natural resources, and damage to indigenous heritage, affecting at least 151 territories across 20 states.
It is particularly striking that 88 of these territories already had legal recognition, which demonstrates that demarcation alone does not guarantee the effective protection of communities against invaders, illegal miners, loggers, and land grabbers.
The Sararé Indigenous Territory, in Mato Grosso, is one of the most serious examples. The expansion of illegal mining has caused deforestation, the destruction of rivers, and profound disruptions to the lives of the Nambikwara communities.
The situation also carries strong symbolic significance: the Sararé territory once again graces the cover of the CIMI report nearly three decades after illegal mining appeared on the cover of a 1996 edition. The comparison highlights the persistence of an exploitative model that continues to endanger Indigenous peoples and Amazonian ecosystems.
The violence is also directly reflected in people’s lives: 258 murders and 215 suicides
In 2025, 258 murders of Indigenous people were recorded, compared to 211 cases in 2024. Roraima, Amazonas, and Mato Grosso do Sul accounted for the highest number of cases.
In addition to these murders, there were 38 attempted murders, 18 death threats, 33 cases of bodily injury, 46 incidents of racism and ethno-cultural discrimination, and 25 cases of sexual violence, among other forms of aggression.
The report also documents 215 indigenous suicides, surpassing the 208 recorded the previous year. Amazonas recorded 77 cases, followed by Mato Grosso do Sul with 42, and Roraima with 37.
The situation particularly affects younger generations: 41% of the suicides involved Indigenous people between the ages of 20 and 29, while another 34% involved minors under the age of 19.
These figures show that violence against indigenous peoples is not limited to physical attacks or land disputes. It also manifests in social, economic, cultural, and territorial conditions that profoundly affect the lives and hopes of these communities.
More than 1,000 Indigenous children died before the age of five
Another of the most concerning statistics relates to infant mortality.
In 2025, 1,024 deaths of indigenous infants and children under the age of five were recorded, compared to 922 the previous year. Amazonas, Roraima, and Mato Grosso had the highest numbers.
Of these deaths, 586—57%—were related to causes considered preventable, including the flu and pneumonia, infectious intestinal diseases, and malnutrition.
For CIMI, these figures highlight the deep inequalities that persist in access to basic health services, safe drinking water, sanitation, food, and adequate healthcare in numerous indigenous territories.
Isolated Peoples Face a Growing Threat
The report also devotes a chapter to indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation, whose situation is particularly vulnerable in the face of expanding economic activities in the Amazon.
CIMI’s Support Team for Free Peoples (EAPIL) has recorded 119 cases of isolated indigenous peoples in Brazil, of which only 55 have been officially confirmed by the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai).
In 20 indigenous territories where isolated communities are recorded, invasions and damage to cultural heritage were identified. The expansion of mining, deforestation, roads, and other economic activities increases the risk to these communities, which have chosen to remain isolated from contact with the majority society.
A Reality That Challenges the Church and the Amazon
The data from the CIMI report serve as a wake-up call for all of Brazilian and Latin American society. Violence against indigenous peoples is closely linked to the defense of their territories, the protection of forests and rivers, and the recognition of their collective rights.
For the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA), this reality underscores the urgency of walking alongside indigenous peoples and strengthening a Church with an Amazonian face, committed to the defense of life, human dignity, and the care of our Common Home.
The Amazon cannot be understood solely as a space of natural resources available for exploitation. It is a territory of peoples, cultures, spiritualities, histories, and ways of life that for centuries have cared for the forests and rivers.
The persistence of territorial violence shows that the defense of indigenous peoples and the protection of the Amazon are inseparable. Where territory is threatened, life is also threatened; and where the rights of indigenous peoples are violated, the balance of the entire Common Home is put at risk.
The CIMI report therefore calls for a renewed commitment to an Amazon where Indigenous peoples can live with dignity, fully exercise their rights, and continue to play a leading role in protecting their territories and building a future of hope.
Source: Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI), “Violence Against Indigenous Peoples in Brazil: Data from 2025.”
Photo: Pe Renan Dantas