US Executions Skyrocketed in the Past Year to Highest Level in 16 Years.
The count of executions in the US has sharply risen in 2025, hitting a level not seen in 16 years. This sharp uptick is linked to a focused campaign to reinvigorate the death penalty, combined with a significant change in the approach of the US Supreme Court toward eleventh-hour pleas.
A Grim Tally: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year
Exactly 47 men—all of whom were male—were executed by states that utilize the death penalty in 2025. This figure represents nearly double the count from 2024, marking the highest annual total for capital punishment 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 elected officials carry out death sentences in search of diminishing political benefits."
An International Exception
This pronounced rise further isolates the United States from nearly all other advanced economies, almost none of which continue the practice. In recent years, only a handful of Asian nations have carried out executions among peer countries.
A Public Opinion Divide
The comeback of executions clashes directly with broader patterns and modern public opinion. For years, the use of the death penalty had been in a steady decrease. Meanwhile, polling indicate approval of capital punishment for those convicted of murder has fallen to a 50-year low, with 52% of Americans in favor. A majority of citizens 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.
"The tone is set, the national dialogue sent down from the top—you use violence and cruelty to solve social problems," stated a prominent anti-death penalty advocate.
State-Level Frenzy
The federal push was mirrored and amplified at the level of individual states. Florida became a notable outlier, conducting 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 deaths this year. Overall, 12 states employed their death chambers, up from nine in 2024.
Evolving Methods
As activity increased, some states adopted increasingly extreme techniques. Louisiana ended a 15-year hiatus and became the second state to use nitrogen hypoxia as an means of execution. Observers reported the condemned individual visibly shook for several minutes during the procedure.
In another development, a different state performed the initial use 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, faulty targeting may have prolonged suffering for the individual.
The Supreme Court's Role
The surge in death sentences carried out is also linked to the position of the US Supreme Court. The majority-conservative bench rejected all applications to halt an execution in 2025, a notable demonstration of judicial disengagement.
This marks a change from the court's historical role as a final avenue for legal challenges based on innocence claims, rights-based arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "The system now functions without a safety net," noted a law professor. "Federal courts are supposed to serve as a backstop, but that safeguard has been eviscerated."
