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

The number of state-sanctioned killings in the US has dramatically increased in 2025, reaching a rate not seen in 16 years. This surge is linked to a focused campaign to revive the death penalty, combined with a significant change in the stance of the US Supreme 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 individual states that utilize the death penalty in 2025. This number represents nearly double the total from 2024, constituting the most active period for capital punishment in the country since 2009.

"The evidence shows that the death penalty in 2025 is increasingly unpopular with the public even as politicians schedule executions in search of diminishing political benefits."

An International Exception

This pronounced rise further isolates the US from nearly all other advanced economies, almost none of which continue the practice. In recent years, just Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have carried out capital punishment among similarly developed states.

Contradictory Trends

The resurgence of executions clashes directly with long-term trends and modern public opinion. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in gradual decline. At the same time, surveys indicate approval of capital punishment for murder convictions 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 sitting President issued an presidential directive titled "Reinstating Capital Punishment." This order aimed to guarantee that laws authorizing capital punishment were "upheld and properly enforced," 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.

A Surge in State Executions

The national initiative was mirrored and amplified at the state level. The state of Florida emerged as a notable extreme case, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a dramatic increase from just one the year before. This shattered the state's prior annual record.

Alongside Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, these a quartet of jurisdictions were responsible for almost 75% of all executions this year. Overall, a dozen states employed their death chambers, up from nine states in 2024.

More Extreme Execution Protocols

As activity increased, some states turned to more controversial techniques. One state ended a 15-year hiatus and followed another state's lead to employ nitrogen hypoxia as an means of execution. Witnesses reported the condemned individual visibly shook for multiple minutes during the process.

Meanwhile, South Carolina carried out the initial use 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, faulty targeting may have caused extended agony for the individual.

The Supreme Court's Role

The increase in executions is also connected to the position of the US Supreme Court. The court's conservative majority rejected all applications to stay an execution in 2025, a notable demonstration of reluctance to intervene.

This marks a change from the court's historical role as a final avenue for appeals based on claims of innocence, rights-based arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "The system now functions lacking a crucial backup," noted a law professor. "Federal courts are meant to act as a backstop, but that safeguard has been eviscerated."