Deadliest regions for journalists worldwide 2023

Data from an annual industry report revealed that the most dangerous region for journalists in 2023 was Maghreb and the Middle East, with 18 killed there that year in connection with their work or whilst performing their duties.

Where are journalists most at risk?

A number of countries have a reputation for being dangerous for journalists to work in. Four killings in Mexico contributed to the number of journalists who lost their lives in the Americas in 2023, and the country regularly ranks among the riskiest for journalists. Meanwhile, the run-up to the elections in Bangladesh led to an increase in violence in 2023, whereas in Afghanistan, three young journalists died in an Islamic State bomb attack. The motives for the majority of journalists killed were confirmed, meaning that there was a fair degree of certainty that the journalist's death was linked to their work.

Why are journalists detained?

Most imprisoned journalists were held on anti-state charges, according to the most recently available data. Close to 60 percent of the world’s detained journalists were in custody for this reason as of late 2023, whereas only nine percent were imprisoned on suspicion of reporting false news. When it comes to imprisoned journalists by beat, a third were jailed for reporting on politics, whilst almost a quarter were in detention for having worked on human rights topics. However, whilst some beats are arguably riskier than others, even journalists working on seemingly innocuous topics were at risk of imprisonment. In 2023, three percent of journalists jailed worldwide were working on sports, and six percent were reporting on business.