Brazil remains in first place in the ranking of countries that kill the most transsexuals and transvestites in the world, with 80 murders recorded in 2025. The data comes from the latest edition of the dossier made by the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals (Antra), released this Monday (26). 
The result represents a drop of around 34% compared to the previous year, which recorded 122 crimes of this type, but it does not take the country off the top of the list. rankinga position he has held for almost 18 years.
For the president of Antra, Bruna Benevides, the data is the result of an entire system that naturalizes oppression against trans people.
“These are not isolated deaths, they reveal a population exposed to extreme violence from a very early age, crossed by social exclusion, racism, institutional abandonment and continuous psychological suffering.”
Violence statistics
Data for the dossier was collected from daily news monitoring, direct reports made to trans organizations, and public records. For Benevides, this situation already highlights violence: if civil society does not do this work, the deaths simply do not exist for the State.
In 2025, Ceará and Minas Gerais were the states with the highest number of murders, eight each. In total, violence remains concentrated in the Northeast region, which recorded 38 murders, followed by the Southeast with 17, the Central-West with 12, the North with seven and the South with six.
A survey carried out by Antra, which counted the period from 2017 to 2025, showed the state of São Paulo as the most lethal, recording 155 deaths. The study revealed that the majority of victims are transvestites and trans women, predominantly young, with a higher incidence in the age group between 18 and 35 years old, with black and brown people being the most affected.
The dossier also points out that, although murders have decreased, there has been an increase in the number of attempted murders, which means that the 34% drop compared to 2024 does not actually translate into a regression in violence.
In an analysis in the dossier, Antra says that this scenario is explained by a set of factors such as underreporting, discredit in security and justice institutions, retraction in media coverage and the absence of specific public policies to combat transphobia – a crime of prejudice, discrimination and hostility directed at transgender people.
Public policies
In addition to the diagnosis, the dossier presents several recommendations aimed at public authorities, the justice system, public security and human rights institutions, seeking dialogue and concrete proposals to break with the logic of impunity and scarcity that marks the reality of trans people in Brazil.
Bruna Benevides, also the author of the dossier, believes that Antra’s report “embarrasses the State”, informs society and prevents silence.
“It is necessary to recognize that women’s protection policies need to be accessible and available to trans women, for example. Think about making what exists accessible and implementing what has not yet been properly achieved. There is a lot of production, including data, there is a lack of action on the part of decision makers”, he added.
The ninth edition of Dossier: Murders and Violence Against Brazilian Transvestites and Transsexuals It will be presented in a ceremony in the auditorium of the Ministry of Human Rights, with official handover to representatives of the federal government.
Violent deaths
The data released this Monday by Antra reinforces the scenario highlighted on the 18th by the Gay Group of Bahia (GGB), in the Observatory of Violent Deaths of LGBT+ in Brazil, updated annually.
The data, which includes in addition to the trans population, people gayslesbians and bisexuals, among others, show that, in 2025, 257 violent deaths, 204 homicides, 20 suicides, 17 robberies (robbery followed by death) and 16 cases of other causes, such as being run over and drowning, were documented.
In relation to 2024, when 291 cases were documented, there was a reduction of 11.7%. But it still means one death every 34 hours in Brazil.
Also according to the GGB, last year Brazil remained the country with the highest number of homicides and suicides of LGBT+ people worldwide, followed by Mexico, with 40, and the United States, with 10.
*Intern under the supervision of Mariana Tokarnia
