The Rise and Fall of Executions: A Global Perspective on the Death Penalty in 2025
The global number of executions reached a 44-year high in 2025, as reported by Amnesty International. A total of 2,707 people were executed in 17 countries for various criminal charges. Iran had the highest number of executions, with 2,159 people put to death, more than double the previous year. Many countries, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, used the death penalty to enforce strict drug laws. The United States also saw a significant increase in executions, with 47 carried out across 11 states, up from 25 in 2024.
Florida led the U.S. in executions with 19, followed by Texas with 169, and Alabama and North Carolina. Amnesty International highlighted the surge in U.S. executions, particularly in Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis has been a strong advocate for the death penalty. Despite the increase in executions, public support for capital punishment in the U.S. has been declining, reaching a five-decade low of 52% in 2025.
Amnesty International and the Death Penalty Information Center both emphasize the cruelty and ineffectiveness of the death penalty. The trend of decreasing support for capital punishment in the U.S. reflects a growing acknowledgment that the death penalty is a flawed policy that fails to deter crime effectively. The majority of U.S. juries are now rejecting death sentences due to concerns about fairness and wrongful convictions. The data suggests a shift in public opinion towards abolishing the death penalty as a form of punishment.