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

The number of executions in the United States has dramatically increased in 2025, hitting a level not seen in since 2009. This surge is linked to a focused campaign to revive judicial killings, coupled with a notable shift in the stance of the nation's highest court toward last-minute appeals.

A Grim Tally: 47 Executions in a Single Year

Exactly 47 individuals—each one were male—were put to death by states maintaining the death penalty in 2025. This number is nearly double the count from 2024, marking the highest annual total for executions in the country in 16 years.

"The evidence shows 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."

An International Exception

This sharp increase further separates the United States from nearly all other developed nations, very few of which still carry out executions. In recent years, just a handful of Asian nations have carried out capital punishment among similarly developed states.

A Public Opinion Divide

The resurgence of executions clashes directly with long-term trends and current public sentiment. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in gradual decline. 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. A majority of adults under the age of 55 now oppose it.

Presidential Influence

On his first day back in office, the President issued an executive order titled "Restoring the Death Penalty." 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 prominent activist against executions.

A Surge in State Executions

The national initiative was mirrored and intensified at the level of individual states. Florida became a notable extreme case, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a dramatic increase from just one the previous year. 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 more executions occurred, some states turned to increasingly extreme techniques. One state ended a long period without executions and followed another state's lead to use nitrogen hypoxia as an means of execution. Observers reported the condemned individual convulsed for several minutes during the process.

In another development, South Carolina performed the initial use by firing squad in the US since 2010, using this method for three of its total executions this year. Accounts suggested that in an instance, imprecise aim may have caused extended agony for the condemned.

The Supreme Court's Role

The increase in death sentences carried out is also connected to the posture of the US Supreme Court. The majority-conservative bench denied every request to stay an execution in 2025, a rare display of reluctance to intervene.

This marks a change from the court's traditional function as a last resort for legal challenges based on claims of innocence, constitutional arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "We’re now operating without a safety net," commented a legal scholar. "The judiciary are supposed to serve as a final check, but that safeguard has been removed."