American Executions Skyrocketed in 2025 to Peak in Over a Decade and a Half.
The count of executions in the US has dramatically increased in 2025, hitting a level not seen in since 2009. This sharp uptick is linked to a focused campaign to reinvigorate judicial killings, combined with a significant change in the approach of the nation's highest court toward eleventh-hour pleas.
A Sobering Count: 47 Executions in a Single Year
Exactly 47 men—each one were male—were put to death by states maintaining the death penalty in 2025. This figure represents nearly twice the total from 2024, marking the most active period for capital punishment in the country since 2009.
"Data indicates that the death penalty in 2025 is increasingly unpopular with the public even as elected officials schedule executions in search of diminishing political benefits."
A Global Outlier
This pronounced rise further isolates the US from most other developed nations, very few of which still carry out executions. In recent years, only Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have conducted capital punishment among peer countries.
A Public Opinion Divide
The resurgence of executions stands in stark contrast with long-term trends and current public sentiment. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in gradual decline. At the same time, surveys indicate support for capital punishment for those convicted of murder has reached a half-century low, with 52% of Americans in favor. Most of citizens under the age of 55 now are against it.
Presidential Influence
On his inauguration day back in office, the sitting President issued an presidential directive titled "Reinstating Capital Punishment." This order sought to ensure that statutes permitting capital punishment were "respected and faithfully implemented," marking a clear change from the previous presidency.
"The tone is set, the national dialogue sent down from the top—the idea is to use harsh measures to solve social problems," stated a well-known anti-death penalty advocate.
A Surge in State Executions
The federal push was mirrored and intensified at the state level. Florida became a notable extreme case, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a staggering increase from just one the year before. This shattered the state's prior annual record.
Alongside several other southern states, these a quartet of jurisdictions were the source of almost three-quarters of all deaths this year. In total, a dozen states employed their execution facilities, up from nine states in 2024.
Evolving Methods
As activity increased, some states adopted increasingly extreme techniques. Louisiana ended a 15-year hiatus and followed another state's lead to employ nitrogen hypoxia as an means of execution. Witnesses reported the prisoner visibly shook for several minutes during the process.
Meanwhile, South Carolina performed the first execution by a squad of shooters in the US since 2010, using this method for three of its five 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 connected to the position of the nation's highest court. The court's conservative majority rejected all applications to stay an execution in 2025, a rare display of reluctance to intervene.
This represents a shift from the court's traditional function as a final avenue for appeals based on innocence claims, rights-based arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "The system now functions lacking a crucial backup," commented a law professor. "Federal courts are meant to act as a final check, but that stop gap has been eviscerated."
