US Executions Surged in the Past Year to Highest Level in Over a Decade and a Half.
The number of state-sanctioned killings in the US has sharply risen in 2025, reaching a level not seen in 16 years. This surge is linked to a concerted push to revive the death penalty, combined with a significant change in the stance of the nation's highest court toward last-minute appeals.
A Sobering Count: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year
A total of 47 individuals—each one were male—were put to death by individual states that utilize the death penalty this year. This number represents nearly double the total from 2024, constituting the most active period for executions in the United States in 16 years.
"Data indicates that the death penalty in 2025 is increasingly unpopular with the American people even as elected officials schedule executions in search of waning political benefits."
A Global Outlier
This pronounced rise further isolates the US from most other advanced economies, very few of which continue the practice. In recent years, just Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have conducted capital punishment among similarly developed states.
Contradictory Trends
The comeback of state killings stands in stark contrast with broader patterns and current public sentiment. For years, the use of the death penalty had been in a steady decrease. At the same time, surveys indicate support for capital punishment for those convicted of murder has fallen to a 50-year low, with just over half of respondents in favor. A majority of adults under the age of 55 now oppose it.
Presidential Influence
On his inauguration day back in office, the President issued an executive order titled "Reinstating Capital Punishment." This order sought to ensure that statutes permitting capital punishment were "upheld and properly enforced," signaling a major shift from the prior administration.
"It’s in the air, it’s in the national rhetoric sent down from the top—the idea is to use harsh measures to solve social problems," remarked a well-known activist against executions.
A Surge in State Executions
The federal push was mirrored and amplified at the level of individual states. Florida emerged as a particular outlier, conducting 19 executions in 2025—a dramatic increase from just one the year before. This broke the state's previous record.
Alongside several other southern states, these four states were the source of almost 75% of all executions this year. In total, 12 states actively used their death chambers, up from nine in 2024.
More Extreme Execution Protocols
As activity increased, some states turned to increasingly extreme techniques. Louisiana concluded a 15-year hiatus and became the second state to employ nitrogen hypoxia as an means of execution. Witnesses reported the prisoner visibly shook for multiple minutes during the procedure.
Meanwhile, South Carolina performed the first execution by firing squad in the US since 2010, using this method for three of its five executions this year. Accounts suggested that in an instance, imprecise aim may have caused extended agony for the condemned.
A Changed Judicial Landscape
The increase in executions is also connected to the posture of the nation's highest court. The majority-conservative bench rejected all applications to stay an execution in 2025, a rare display of judicial disengagement.
This represents a shift from the court's traditional function as a last resort for appeals based on innocence claims, constitutional arguments, or allegations of cruel punishment. "We’re now operating without a safety net," noted a legal scholar. "Federal courts are supposed to serve as a backstop, but that safeguard has been removed."