US Executions Surged in the Past Year to Highest Level in 16 Years.
The count of state-sanctioned killings in the US has sharply risen in 2025, hitting a rate not seen in 16 years. This surge is attributed to a focused campaign to reinvigorate the death penalty, combined with a notable shift in the stance of the US Supreme Court toward eleventh-hour pleas.
A Grim Tally: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year
Exactly 47 individuals—all of whom were male—were put to death by states maintaining the death penalty this year. This number is nearly twice the total from 2024, constituting the highest annual total for executions in the United States since 2009.
"Data indicates that the death penalty in 2025 is growing less popular with the American people even as elected officials schedule executions in search of diminishing political benefits."
An International Exception
This sharp increase further isolates the United States from most other developed nations, almost none of which continue the practice. In recent years, only Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have carried out executions among similarly developed states.
Contradictory Trends
The comeback of state killings clashes directly with long-term trends and current public sentiment. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in a steady decrease. Meanwhile, surveys indicate approval of capital punishment for those convicted of murder has fallen to a 50-year low, with 52% of Americans in favor. Most of citizens under the age of 55 now are against it.
Presidential Influence
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 laws authorizing capital punishment were "respected and faithfully implemented," marking a clear change from the prior administration.
"The tone is set, the national dialogue sent down from the top—you use violence and cruelty to solve social problems," stated a well-known anti-death penalty advocate.
State-Level Frenzy
The federal push was echoed and amplified at the state level. Florida emerged as a notable outlier, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a staggering increase from just one the year before. This shattered the state's previous record.
Together with several other southern states, these four states were the source of almost 75% of all executions this year. In total, 12 states employed their execution facilities, up from nine in 2024.
More Extreme Execution Protocols
As activity increased, some states turned to more controversial techniques. Louisiana ended a long period without executions and followed another state's lead to use nitrogen gas as an means of execution. Observers reported the condemned individual visibly shook for multiple minutes during the process.
Meanwhile, South Carolina carried out the first execution by a squad of shooters in the US since 2010, deploying this approach for three of its five executions this year. Accounts suggested that in one case, imprecise aim may have caused extended agony for the individual.
The Supreme Court's Role
The increase in executions is also connected to the posture of the US Supreme Court. The court's conservative majority denied every request to stay an execution in 2025, a notable demonstration of judicial disengagement.
This marks a change from the court's historical role as a last resort for legal challenges based on claims of innocence, rights-based arguments, or allegations of cruel punishment. "The system now functions without a safety net," noted a law professor. "Federal courts are supposed to serve as a final check, but that safeguard has been removed."
