US Executions Skyrocketed in 2025 to Highest Level in Over a Decade and a Half.

The count of state-sanctioned killings in the United States has dramatically increased in 2025, hitting a level not seen in 16 years. This sharp uptick is linked to a concerted push to revive judicial killings, coupled with a significant change in the stance of the nation's highest court toward last-minute appeals.

A Sobering Count: 47 Executions in a Single Year

A total of 47 men—each one were male—were executed by states that utilize the death penalty this year. This figure is nearly twice the count from 2024, constituting the highest annual total for executions in the country in 16 years.

"The evidence shows that the death penalty in 2025 is growing less popular with the American people even as politicians carry out death sentences in search of waning political benefits."

An International Exception

This sharp increase further separates the United States from nearly all other advanced economies, very few of which still carry out executions. Currently, only a handful of Asian nations have carried out executions among similarly developed states.

A Public Opinion Divide

The comeback of executions clashes directly with long-term trends and modern public opinion. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in a steady decrease. Meanwhile, surveys indicate support for capital punishment for those convicted of murder has fallen to a 50-year low, with 52% of respondents in favor. A majority of adults under the age of 55 now oppose it.

Executive Action Sets the Tone

On his first day back in office, the sitting President issued an executive order titled "Restoring the Death Penalty." This order aimed 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," stated a prominent 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 outlier, conducting 19 executions in 2025—a staggering increase from just one the year before. This broke the state's previous record.

Alongside several other southern states, these four states were responsible for almost 75% of all deaths this year. Overall, a dozen states employed their death chambers, up from nine states in 2024.

More Extreme Execution Protocols

As activity increased, some states adopted increasingly extreme methods. Louisiana concluded a 15-year hiatus and followed another state's lead to use nitrogen hypoxia as an means of execution. Observers reported the prisoner convulsed for multiple minutes during the process.

Meanwhile, a different state performed the initial use by a squad of shooters 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 individual.

The Supreme Court's Role

The increase in executions is also linked to the position of the US Supreme Court. The court's conservative majority denied every request 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, rights-based arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "The system now functions without a safety net," noted a legal scholar. "The judiciary are meant to act as a backstop, but that safeguard has been eviscerated."