US Executions Skyrocketed in the Past Year to Highest Level in 16 Years.
The count of executions in the US has dramatically increased in 2025, hitting a level not seen in since 2009. This surge is linked to a concerted push to revive the death penalty, combined with a significant change in the stance of the US Supreme Court toward eleventh-hour pleas.
A Sobering Count: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year
Exactly 47 individuals—all of whom were male—were put to death by individual states maintaining the death penalty in 2025. This number is nearly double the count from the previous year, constituting the highest annual total for executions in the country since 2009.
"The evidence shows that the death penalty in 2025 is increasingly unpopular with the public even as elected officials schedule executions in search of diminishing political benefits."
A Global Outlier
This pronounced rise further separates the US from most other advanced economies, almost none of which continue the practice. In recent years, only a handful of Asian nations have carried out capital punishment among similarly developed states.
A Public Opinion Divide
The resurgence of executions stands in stark contrast with long-term trends and current public sentiment. For years, the use of the death penalty had been in a steady decrease. Meanwhile, polling indicate support for capital punishment for murder convictions has fallen to a 50-year low, with just over half of Americans in favor. Most of adults under the age of 55 now oppose it.
Presidential Influence
On his first day back in office, the President issued an executive order titled "Restoring the Death Penalty." This order sought to guarantee that laws authorizing capital punishment were "upheld and properly enforced," marking a clear change from the prior administration.
"The tone is set, the national dialogue sent down from the top—the idea is to use harsh measures to solve social problems," stated a well-known anti-death penalty advocate.
A Surge in State Executions
The federal push was echoed and intensified at the state level. The state of Florida emerged as a particular extreme case, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a dramatic increase from just one the previous year. This shattered the state's previous record.
Together with Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, these four states were the source of almost three-quarters of all executions this year. Overall, 12 states employed their execution facilities, up from nine in 2024.
More Extreme Execution Protocols
As more executions occurred, some states adopted increasingly extreme techniques. One state concluded a long period without executions and followed another state's lead to use nitrogen gas as an means of execution. Witnesses reported the condemned individual convulsed for multiple minutes during the procedure.
Meanwhile, a different state carried out the initial use by firing squad in the US since 2010, deploying this approach for three of its total executions this year. Reports suggested that in an instance, faulty targeting may have prolonged suffering for the condemned.
A Changed Judicial Landscape
The increase in executions is also connected to the position of the nation's highest court. The court's conservative majority rejected all applications to stay an execution in 2025, a notable demonstration of reluctance to intervene.
This represents a shift from the court's traditional function as a final avenue for appeals based on claims of innocence, constitutional arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "We’re now operating without a safety net," commented a law professor. "The judiciary are supposed to serve as a final check, but that safeguard has been eviscerated."
