What went right in 2025: the top 37 good news stories of the year
January 4, 2025
by Gavin Haines and Ilu Wloch Scientists treated the ’untreatable’, species came back from the brink, solar surged, deforestation fell, rivers were revitalized, 70 declared ‘the new 60’, and the smartphone-free childhood caught on, plus more good news.
P E A C E Image: Noah Fetz
1. Crime plummeted in the US - and beyond
The US is on course for one of its least violent years since modern records began – and it’s not alone. According to the Real-Time Crime Index, which tracks the data, the US murder rate is down by almost 20% so far this year, while violent crime has fallen by nearly 11%. It’s not a blip. FBI figures from August show that the US murder rate saw its sharpest fall to date in 2024, dropping by 14.9% – eclipsing even 2023’s substantial 10% decline. A similar trend is underway elsewhere. Brazil’s murder rate plummeted by 20.3% over the last decade, figures published in June suggest. Meanwhile, in London analysis of crime stats found that London’s murder rate is the lowest it’s been since records began in 2003. Recorded knife crime has seen a year-on-year decline of 7%. 2. Majority of those in the US are against war
Polls came out all year in the US that proved that people inside the belly of the beast are becoming more and more anti-war. Whether the conflicts are in Ukraine, Gaza, or Venezuela, the people of the US are sick and tired of their country going to war. This, if people take action on their beliefs, will have huge implications for the US war machine. The anti-war movement is growing, and we have the power of the people behind us!  Image: Mohammed Ibrahim
3. Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal offered hope
A fragile deal to end the war in Gaza and return Israeli hostages to their families was signed in October – and is still broadly holding, despite reported violations. The war brought immense suffering to millions of Palestinians, created anxiety about the fate of Israeli hostages and threatened to engulf the entire Middle East. October’s deal brought hope, but hurdles remain. The next phase requires Israel to further withdraw its troops and for Hamas to disarm as a transitional authority is set up. This will test the commitment of both sides. Questions remain over justice, too. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for the commander-in-chief of Hamas’s military wing, Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israel’s former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in respect of war crimes. The former has since been killed. Despite the uncertainties, bereaved families from both sides are uniting to build peace where politics has failed. “Once you recognise your joint pain, that you share the same colour of tears, it becomes a completely different story,” Robi Damelin of Parents Circle – Families Forum, a grassroots peace movement, told Positive News. 4. Moving toward democratic stability
South Koreans impeached their former president after he declared martial law on flimsy pretenses, successfully avoiding a would-be power grab and ensuring the stability of democracy there. Brazilians, too, threw some points on the global democracy scoreboard when former president Jair Bolsonaro was convicted of plotting a coup attempt. He began his 27-year prison sentence in November. In December, Syrians celebrated the one-year anniversary of the ouster of former dictator Bashar al-Assad. While Syria’s path since forming a new government has been far from smooth and it can’t yet be described as a democracy, things generally are stabilizing.  Image: Hussain Ali
5. Pakistan to protect religious minorities
Islam is the state religion of Pakistan. Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and other religious communities only make up a small fraction of the country’s overall population. In 2014, Pakistan’s Supreme Court criticized the inadequate protection afforded to religious minorities, calling for an independent commission to address the matter. No such body was constituted, with years of resistance and disputes. It was not until early December this year that Pakistan’s parliament passed the National Commission for Minority Rights Bill, which was signed into action by the president. Justice Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar told news outlet dawn.com “that this is a commission for non-Muslims. Our Hindu, Christian and Parsi brothers are as good Pakistanis as we are.” W O M E N6. Mexico’s woman President showed what principled leadership looks like
Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first woman president, has delivered bold progress at home—expanding public education, investing in clean energy, and strengthening labor rights and social programs that put working families first. When Trump tried to bully Mexico with tariff threats and demanded that Mexico play border cop, Sheinbaum defended Mexico’s sovereignty with competence, dignity, and a refreshing refusal to be intimidated. And when Trump blocked Venezuelan tankers from delivering oil to Cuba, Mexico stepped in to supply its own oil—a clear act of solidarity that showed what principled leadership looks like on the world stage. 
7. Electoral gender equality
Spain and Chile have reached gender parity in their cabinets. Liberia has launched a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Policy with a target of 50 percent women’s representation in electoral processes. And last year, Mongolia broke records for the Asia and Pacific region, with 25.4 percent of the country’s parliament now made up of women, and it has implemented a gender quota with a goal of 40 percent by 2028. 8. Women's sports thrived in 2025 with unprecedented growth
A deafening roar at Twickenham capped a 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup that smashed attendance records, while India's first Women's Cricket World Cup triumph sparked nationwide celebrations. A'Ja Wilson delivered a jaw-dropping WNBA season and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone raced to a jaw-dropping world title at a new distance in the 400 metres. While the year was full of lasting images of women in sport that reshaped their visibility, it was also marked by new franchises, bigger television audiences and greater advertising impact, sending women's sport into 2026 on a wave of momentum. 
9. Countries outlawed child marriage
About 12 million girls are married off each year, according to Girls Not Brides, a nongovernmental organization. This often results in pressure to drop out of school prematurely and have children early. Just over half of the world’s countries still allow under-18 marriages if certain conditions such as parental backing or a judge’s approval are given, according to UNESCO data from February. Colombia closed all existing legal loopholes around under-18 marriage that same month. Bolivia— where about 22% of underage girls are forced into child marriage, according to NGO Save the Children — similarly instituted a blanket ban on under-18 marriage in September. The law also imposes jail penalties on civil registrars who officiate child marriages and on adults who enter into such unions. 10. Europe toughened its rape laws
France, Poland, and Norway adopted a consent-based definition of rape this year. These countries are only the latest in Europe to revisit what are known as coercion-based rape laws, which usually require violence or threat to upgrade an assault to a rape charge. Consent-based laws instead use consent as a barometer. The specifics vary by country but generally fall under two models: yes means yes, and no means no. Under yes means yes, a rape has occurred if consent was not expressed—through words, behavior, or another form of “voluntariness”—and if circumstances have not affected a person’s free will. In the no-means-no model, rape has occurred if the act goes against the victim’s known intention. Since 2017, there has been a quiet sea change on the continent around these laws. Then, only seven countries had consent-based laws. Today, more than 20 do, including the ones above. Similar legislation stalled out in Italy’s Senate earlier this year but may be picked up in 2026. P L A N E T Image: James Teohart
11. Ocean treaty ‘a landmark victory’ for high seas
A landmark deal to protect the high seas finally became a reality in September, bringing hope for marine ecosystems and the people who rely on them. A total of 79 nations have now ratified the Global Ocean Treaty – way beyond the 60 required for it to become law. Iceland, Brazil and Japan joined the list in December; Australia, the UK and US are among the heel draggers. The treaty will enter into force in 2026, giving governments a legal framework to protect waters that lie outside of national boundaries. Currently, only 1% of international waters are protected. Greenpeace said the treaty could establish the largest network of ocean sanctuaries in history. “This is the most significant victory for ocean protection and restoration I have ever witnessed,” said the charity’s Ariana Densham. 12. Cop16 deal a ‘step forward’ for nature protection
Despite the tumultuous geopolitical landscape, nations agreed in March to mobilise at least $200bn per year by 2030 to help developing countries conserve biodiversity. The commitment was hammered out in Rome, Italy, at the Cop16 biodiversity conference. Agreed by the 196 states that signed up to the Convention on Biological Diversity (including Russia, but excluding the US), the deal was hailed a win for multilateralism in uncertain times. “Negotiators from all countries … put their differences aside to forge a common path forward,” said Lin Li, senior director for global policy at WWF International. “What’s left now is an urgent need to mobilise funding … to ensure we reach the $200bn a year committed by 2030.” Despite the progress, many countries wanted to see greater ambition to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 – a target that looks likely to be missed.  Image: Richard Eaton
13. Some species came back from the brink
Halting biodiversity loss remains one of the planet’s most critical challenges. The good news is that, done properly, conservation works – as 2025 frequently reminded us. Dozens of species proved that extinction is not inevitable. In a feat that once seemed improbable, the green turtle came off the ‘endangered’ list following a decades-long mission to save the species. In May, a kingfisher native to Guam laid eggs outdoors for the first time in almost four decades thanks to a breeding programme. A “singing” insect was also brought back from the brink in England, while the brown trout returned to cleaned-up Swedish rivers previously despoiled by industry. Meanwhile, the crane staged a “remarkable” comeback in Scotland, having been hunted to extinction there. The recovery of 150 on-the-brink species in neighbouring England was also hailed a conservation success story. In other welcome developments, the long-lost sailback houndshark was recorded again off Papua New Guinea, jaguar numbers surged in Mexico, and chinook salmon were spotted swimming in the Chiloquin Basin in Oregon, US, for the first time in 100 years. 14. Slowing deforestation rate ‘a hopeful trend’
Deforestation has slowed in every region of the world over the past decade, according to a report published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in October. Describing the findings as “a hopeful trend”, the FAO also noted that more than half of forests are now covered by long-term management plans, while one fifth are within legally established protected areas. The FAO said that the world had lost 10.9m hectares of forest annually in the last decade – down significantly on the 13.6m hectares lost per year in the previous 10 years, and the 17.6m hectares lost in the decade before that. However, despite the hopeful findings, the FAO warned that the world is still losing far too much forest.  Image: Kerin Gedge
15. Vast new wildlife sanctuaries were created
More habitats were designated protected areas in 2025, offering a lifeline to koalas, whales and other species. Australia, Colombia, Greece, Portugal, and São Tomé and Príncipe were among the nations announcing new marine reserves. Six such sites were approved by Spain alone, while French Polynesia established the world’s largest marine protected area.. The Australian government, meanwhile, pledged to protect an “extraordinary and unique” marine ecosystem off the country’s west coast. The 26,000sq km Exmouth Gulf is home to Australia’s largest concentration of dugongs and is a vital stop-off point for humpback whales. Australia also set the boundaries for its Great Koala national park, which at 4,600sq km will be the largest protected area in the state of New South Wales. Nations have agreed to protect 30% of the planet by 2030. While progress is being made, the world is still off track to meet that target. 16. The renewables juggernaut thundered on
For the first time, the combined might of wind and solar overtook coal as the world’s leading source of electricity. “We are seeing the first signs of a crucial turning point,” said Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, a senior electricity analyst at the think tank Ember. Ember added that solar is now the fastest growing source of electricity ever. A decade ago, it accounted for just 1% of global electricity; today it’s 9% and rising. In China, it has grown 20-fold. Key to this is the continuing collapse in solar costs, which have fallen by around 90% in a decade. Meanwhile, investment continued to flood in. As Donald Trump decried the “green energy scam” at the United Nations General Assembly in September, the Zero Carbon Analytics think tank noted that global investment in green energy was up 10% year-on-year in the first half of 2025.  Image: Xuthoria
17. Nations hatched a plan to exit fossil fuels
After November’s Cop30 climate summit (pictured) concluded with zero mention of fossil fuels in the draft text – a victory for obstructive petrostates – Colombia and the Netherlands took matters into their own hands. With the backing of 22 other countries, including Australia and Ireland, they pledged to establish their own roadmap for abandoning coal, gas and oil. The two nations also agreed to co-host the first ever International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels, due to be held in April 2026. More nations have since backed the initiative. “There is a clear momentum to phase out fossil fuels, and now is the time to capitalise on it,” said Sophie Hermans, the Dutch minister for climate. 18. Over 25 US jurisdictions banned the sale of dogs, cats, and other animals
Each year, Americans buy millions of dogs and cats from pet stores and breeders. Most of them come from puppy or kitten mills, where animals are raised in small, unsanitary enclosures with few protections and little governmental oversight. Meanwhile, millions of adoptable cats and dogs languish in shelters, and many are euthanized because there isn’t enough space to house them all. To address the problem, animal advocates have successfully campaigned to pass laws in hundreds of cities, counties, and states that prohibit pet stores from selling pets. Momentum continued in 2025: Las Vegas, Denver, Detroit, and Manatee County, Florida — and more than 20 other US jurisdictions — passed such bans. 
19. The era of climate impunity was declared ‘over’
The world’s highest court has paved the way for polluting nations to be sued for their emissions in a ruling described as “a once-in-a-generation moment” for climate justice. In July, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, published a landmark legal decision stating that if governments fail to curb emissions, approve new fossil fuel projects, and roll out public money for oil and gas, then they could be in breach of international law. The case was brought by law students and activists in the low-lying Pacific nation Vanuatu (pictured). Though the court’s ruling is non-binding, meaning it does not create a legally enforceable obligation, experts said it would still have major consequences. “The era of climate impunity is over,” the Center for International Environmental Law said in a statement. The ruling, it added, “sets a new global standard for urgent action and accountability on climate justice”. 20. Denmark emerged as a climate (and copyright) leader
While some countries went cool on climate action in 2025, Denmark ramped up its ambition. The Nordic nation committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 82% (compared to 1990 levels) over the next decade. That’s 1% more ambitious than the UK, which was previously the global leader. Targets are one thing, meeting them is another. Denmark has good form. A government report released this year suggests that the country is on course to meet its earlier goal of cutting emissions by 70% by 2030. The Danish Council on Climate Change described the February findings as “a success story in a world of gloomy climate news”. Denmark also emerged as a copyright pioneer. A new bill introduced in July will give Danes copyright of their own faces, making it illegal to share deepfake images, videos and audio recordings based on a real person. L G B T Q +
21. Thailand legalized same-sex marriage
Thailand’s prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra posed for a photograph with various same-sex couples and members of LGBTQ+ community to promote “Marriage Equality Day” at the Government House in Bangkok on January 15, 2025. Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise gay marriage in June 2024 Shinawatra invited dozens of couples and LGBTQ+ activists to Government House to celebrate ahead of the legality of the unions going into effect. “January 23, 2025 will be the day we all make history together,” she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of guests in suits and wedding dresses. “The love of everyone is legally recognised with honour and dignity. More than 1,800 couples tied the knot on January 23, the day when the law came into effect. Almost 40 countries around the world have same-sex marriage laws in place, according to a Pew Research Center survey, with Liechtenstein also joining the small roster of nations this year. 22. EU’s top court ruled states must recognize same-sex marriages
The European Union’s top court on Nov. 25 ruled member states must recognize same-sex marriages legally performed in other member states. The EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled in favor of a couple who challenged Poland’s refusal to recognize their German marriage. The couple who lives in Poland brought their case to Polish courts. The Polish Supreme Administrative Court referred it to the EU Court of Justice. “Today’s ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU is of key importance not only for the couple involved in the case, but also for the entire LGBT+ community in Poland,” said the Campaign Against Homophobia, a Polish LGBTQ and intersex rights group. 
23. Hundreds of thousands defy Budapest Pride ban
Organisers estimated that a record number of people turned up on June 28 at the 30th annual Budapest Pride parade to defy the Hungarian government’s ban on public LGBTQ events. “We believe there are 180,000 to 200,000 people attending,” the president of Pride, Viktória Radványi told AFP. “It is hard to estimate because there have never been so many people at Budapest Pride.” Former Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who is his country’s first openly gay head of government, and openly gay MEP Krzysztof Śmiszek, who was previously Poland’s deputy justice minister, are among those who participated in the march. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz-KDNP coalition government have faced widespread criticism over its anti-LGBTQ crackdown. 24. Love is Love in the US
The Supreme Court on Monday declined an appeal to overturn its landmark precedent recognizing a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, tossing aside an appeal that had roiled LGBTQ advocates who feared the conservative court might be ready to revisit the decade-old decision. Instead, the court denied an appeal from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky county clerk who now faces hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages and legal fees for refusing to issue marriage licenses after the court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges allowed same-sex couples to marry. “Today, love won,” said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, welcoming the ruling. 25. Kenyan judge rules gov’t must legally recognize trans people
A Kenyan judge on Aug. 20 ruled his country’s government must legally recognize transgender people and ensure their constitutional rights are protected. “This is the first time a Kenyan court has explicitly ordered the state to create legislation on transgender rights, and a first in the African continent,” noted Jinsiangu, a trans rights organization, in a statement. “If implemented, it could address decades of legal invisibility and discrimination faced by transgender persons by establishing clear legal recognition of gender identity, protection against discrimination in employment, housing, healthcare, and education, and access to public services without bias or harassment.” H E A L T H
26. Scientists treated the ‘untreatable’
Medical developments that sound like the stuff of science fiction became a reality in 2025, as doctors treated the “untreatable”. In July, gene therapy treatment helped people born with genetic hearing loss to recover some of their hearing. Then, in October, it was revealed that blind people were able to read again thanks to a revolutionary eye implant. The device was inserted under the retinas of 38 people with untreatable age-related macular degeneration. Paired with video-recording glasses, the technology enabled 84% of participants to read. “In the history of artificial vision, this represents a new era,” said Mahi Muqit from London’s Moorfields Eye Hospital. Two months later, scientists revealed that a world-first gene therapy, which turns white blood cells into a disease-busting “living drug”, had reversed previously untreatable blood cancers in children. And in another once-impossible medical development, scientists treated Huntington’s disease for the first time, using gene therapy to significantly slow the disease. “This result changes everything,” said Prof Ed Wild from University College London’s Huntington’s Disease Centre. 27. Other medical advances were poised to change lives
In January, surgeons removed a previously inoperable brain tumour from a patient using a “ground-breaking” new procedure. The following month, four children with a rare genetic condition that affected their sight gained “life-changing improvements” in vision following pioneering treatment in London. Meanwhile, a new drug combination was credited with boosting survival rates for women with aggressive, inherited breast cancers. Similarly, a new drug pathway outperformed chemotherapy for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, and was said to be “transforming” lives. September brought news that an AI-assisted brain scanning tool rapidly sped up stroke diagnosis. And in November, scientists said that a new monthly jab for treating severe asthma may replace daily steroids. Medical developments also brought hope to expectant parents. For the first time, babies were born free from a deadly hereditary disease thanks to an IVF procedure that used the DNA of three people. And a “miracle” baby girl became the first baby in the UK to be born to a mother with a donated womb. 
28. There were timely reminders of how far we’ve come
The number of people dying from chronic diseases globally fell in four out of five nations between 2010 and 2019, a landmark study revealed in September. It was one of a number of reports that brought news of long-term health progress. In November, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that the number of polio cases globally had plummeted by more than 99% in just 35 years. In the 1980s, some 350,000 children per year were left paralysed by polio – a figure that now stands at around 50, according to the WHO. It’s still 50 too many, but represents remarkable progress. The WHO also found that around 59 million young lives have been saved since 2000 thanks to the measles vaccine. November brought news that the world is “closer to a future free of cervical cancer”. A study found more than 86 million girls in the most at-risk nations had received a vaccine against human papillomavirus – the leading cause of cervical cancer – since 2023. Meanwhile, Georgia, Suriname, and Timor-Leste were certified malaria-free. And Mauritania, Papua New Guinea, Burundi, Senegal, Fiji, and Egypt all eliminated trachoma, the world’s leading cause of infectious blindness. 29. ‘Seventy really is the new sixty’
A study of English retirees found them to be in better health than previous generations, leading scientists to declare that “70 really may be the new 60”. Instead of looking at the prevalence or absence of diseases, as other research has, January’s study assessed participants’ functional abilities, chiefly their “cognitive, locomotor, psychological and sensory capacities”. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, in which some 19,000 people have taken part, the research found that “a 68-year-old born in 1950 had a similar capacity to a 62-year-old born a decade earlier”. “We were surprised by just how large these improvements were,” said study author John Beard, professor of ageing at Columbia University, US. “The trends were very strong and suggest that, for many people, 70 really may be the new 60.”  Image: Bill Wegener
30. Uganda rapidly got on top of an Ebola outbreak
Health authorities in Uganda declared an end to the country’s Ebola outbreak in May – less than three months after the virus was confirmed in the capital Kampala. Fourteen cases were reported, with four deaths recorded. However, Uganda’s ministry of health acted fast to contain the virus, deploying medical teams to investigate each case and dispatching support workers to reduce stigma around the virus, helping medics build trust with affected communities. “Uganda’s leadership and resilience were crucial in containing this outbreak,” said Dr Kasonde Mwinga of the World Health Organization. “The people of Uganda have shown extraordinary resolve.” 31. HIV prevention shot broke records
Lenacapavir, an injectable that provides nearly perfect protection against HIV, was approved by the FDA in June. Five months later, Eswatini and Zambia had already received their first doses, the first time a new treatment has reached Africa in the same year that it was approved in the U.S. Philanthropies also successfully struck a deal with lenacapavir’s producer to make it available in low- and middle-income countries for $40 per patient—the same cost as for the daily oral pills currently on the market. This move is essential for lenacapavir to reach its full potential to one day stamp out AIDS. a n d
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