American Executions Surged in 2025 to Peak in Over a Decade and a Half.

The count of executions in the United States has sharply risen in 2025, hitting a level not seen in since 2009. This sharp uptick is attributed to a focused campaign to reinvigorate judicial killings, coupled with a notable shift in the stance of the US Supreme Court toward last-minute appeals.

A Sobering Count: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year

A total of 47 individuals—each one were male—were put to death by individual states maintaining the death penalty in 2025. This number represents nearly double the total from the previous year, marking the most active period for capital punishment in the United States since 2009.

"Data indicates that the death penalty in 2025 is increasingly unpopular with the American people even as elected officials carry out death sentences in search of diminishing political benefits."

A Global Outlier

This pronounced rise further separates the United States from most other developed nations, very few of which still carry out executions. Currently, only Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have carried out executions among similarly developed states.

Contradictory Trends

The resurgence 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. At the same time, 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 citizens under the age of 55 now oppose it.

Executive Action Sets the Tone

On his inauguration day back in office, the President issued an executive order titled "Restoring the Death Penalty." This order aimed to guarantee 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.

State-Level Frenzy

The national initiative was mirrored and amplified at the level of individual states. Florida emerged as a particular outlier, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a staggering increase from just one the previous year. This broke the state's prior annual record.

Together with Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, these four states were responsible for almost 75% of all deaths this year. In total, 12 states actively used their execution facilities, up from nine states in 2024.

Evolving Methods

As more executions occurred, some states turned to increasingly extreme methods. Louisiana ended a long period without executions and became the second state to use nitrogen gas as an execution method. Witnesses reported the condemned individual convulsed for several minutes during the process.

Meanwhile, a different state carried out the initial use by a squad of shooters 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 condemned.

A Changed Judicial Landscape

The increase in death sentences carried out is also linked to the posture of the nation's highest court. The court's conservative majority denied every request to halt an execution in 2025, a notable demonstration of reluctance to intervene.

This represents a shift from the court's historical role as a final avenue for appeals based on innocence claims, constitutional arguments, or allegations of cruel punishment. "We’re now operating without a safety net," commented a law professor. "The judiciary are supposed to serve as a final check, but that stop gap has been removed."