US Executions Surged in the Past Year to Highest Level in 16 Years.

The count of executions in the US has dramatically increased in 2025, hitting a level not seen in 16 years. This sharp uptick is linked to a concerted push to revive 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

A total of 47 individuals—all of whom were male—were put to death by states maintaining the death penalty this year. This number represents nearly double the total from 2024, constituting the highest annual total for capital punishment in the country in 16 years.

"Data indicates that the death penalty in 2025 is growing less popular with the public even as elected officials carry out death sentences in search of diminishing political benefits."

A Global Outlier

This sharp increase further separates the US from nearly all other advanced economies, almost none of which continue the practice. In recent years, just Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have conducted capital punishment among similarly developed states.

A Public Opinion Divide

The comeback of state killings stands in stark contrast with long-term trends and current public sentiment. For years, the use of the death penalty had been in gradual decline. Meanwhile, polling indicate support for capital punishment for murder convictions has fallen to a 50-year low, with just over half of Americans in favor. A majority of adults under the age of 55 now are against it.

Presidential Influence

On his first day back in office, the sitting President issued an executive order titled "Restoring the Death Penalty." This order aimed to guarantee that statutes permitting capital punishment were "respected and faithfully implemented," marking a clear change from the prior administration.

"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.

State-Level Frenzy

The federal push was echoed and amplified at the state level. The state of Florida became a particular outlier, conducting 19 executions in 2025—a staggering increase from just one the year before. 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 executions this year. In total, a dozen states employed their execution facilities, up from nine in 2024.

Evolving Methods

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

In another development, South Carolina carried out the first execution by firing squad in the US since 2010, deploying this approach for three of its total executions this year. Reports suggested that in an instance, imprecise aim may have caused extended agony for the condemned.

The Supreme Court's Role

The surge in executions is also linked to the position of the nation's highest court. The court's conservative majority denied every request to halt an execution in 2025, a rare display of judicial disengagement.

This marks a change from the court's traditional function as a final avenue for appeals based on claims of innocence, rights-based arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "We’re now operating lacking a crucial backup," noted a law professor. "The judiciary are meant to act as a backstop, but that safeguard has been eviscerated."