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Global Executions Reach 44-Year High in 2025, Driven by Iran; US Executions Nearly Double

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Global Executions Surge 78% in 2025, Highest Since 1981

At least 2,707 executions were recorded across 17 countries in 2025, a 78% increase from the 1,520 documented in 2024. This is the highest annual total since 1981, according to Amnesty International's annual report.

A separate report from the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) documented a near-doubling of executions in the United States, with Florida setting a state record.

Global Overview

Total Executions and Leading Countries

  • Iran: At least 2,159 executions were documented, accounting for approximately 80% of the global total. This figure is more than double Iran's 2024 count and represents the highest number recorded in the country in decades.

  • Saudi Arabia: At least 356 executions were recorded, many for drug-related offenses. This total exceeded Saudi Arabia's 2024 record high.

  • United States: 47 executions were conducted, the highest number in the US since 2009. The DPIC projects a final total of 48 with two additional executions scheduled.

  • Other countries with documented executions (quantified):
    Yemen (51+), Egypt (23), Somalia (17+), Kuwait (17), Singapore (17), Afghanistan (6), United Arab Emirates (3), Japan (1), South Sudan (1), Taiwan (1).

  • Countries where executions or death sentences were corroborated but not quantified: Iraq, North Korea, Vietnam.

Country-Specific Notes

Kuwait, Egypt, Singapore, and the United States each nearly doubled or tripled their execution numbers year-on-year. Japan, South Sudan, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates resumed executions in 2025 after periods without recorded executions.

The United States

State-Level Data

  • Florida: Carried out 19 executions, approximately 40% of the US total and a new single-year record for the state, surpassing its previous high of eight in 2014.

  • Alabama, South Carolina, Texas: Each conducted five executions, representing the second-highest state totals.

  • Other states: Executions were carried out in a total of 11 states.

Policy and Context

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated in November that execution delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic had been resolved. He indicated a commitment to ensuring the death penalty is carried out "smoothly and promptly" for victims' families and characterized it as an "appropriate punishment for the worst offenders" and a "strong deterrent" to crime.

In 2023, Florida eliminated the requirement for a unanimous jury recommendation to impose a death sentence.

The increase in US executions coincides with the second term of President Donald Trump, during which federal executions, paused in 2021 by former President Joe Biden, have resumed.

Concerns Regarding Executed Individuals

The DPIC report stated that at least 40 individuals executed or scheduled for execution in 2025 presented what the organization described as "vulnerabilities," including brain damage, serious mental illness, severe childhood trauma, or IQ scores within the range considered intellectually disabled.

In 2002, the US Supreme Court ruled that executing individuals with intellectual disabilities violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, while allowing states to define their own assessment procedures. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing how states should utilize IQ test results in evaluating mental capacity.

The DPIC also reported that 10 military veterans were executed in 2025, the highest number in nearly two decades, compared to three in the previous year.

Death Sentences and Public Opinion

  • New death sentences: 22 individuals received new death sentences in 2025, a decrease from 139 in 2005. New sentences were imposed in Florida, California, Alabama, Texas, North Carolina, Arizona, Missouri, and Pennsylvania.

  • Death row population: Fell below 2,000 for the first time in US history, with 25,508 people under sentence of death globally at year-end.

  • Public support: A Gallup poll from October 2025 recorded 52% support for the death penalty for persons convicted of murder, the lowest level since 1972.

Global Trends and Context

Abolition and Restrictions

  • 113 countries have fully abolished the death penalty for all crimes.
  • Over 70% of countries have abolished capital punishment in law or practice, according to the DPIC.
  • Vietnam abolished the death penalty for several offenses.
  • Gambia, Liberia, and Nigeria took legislative steps to restrict its use.
  • Kyrgyzstan's Constitutional Court ruled that reintroducing the death penalty would violate the constitution.
  • Zimbabwe commuted all existing death sentences.

Data Collection Methodology

Amnesty International collects data from official figures, court judgments, family members, media reports, and civil society organizations. The organization notes that actual global figures are likely higher due to a lack of transparency in many countries.

Figures from China are excluded from Amnesty International's count, as the organization believes thousands of executions occur there but confirmed data is unavailable.