US Executions Surged in the Past Year to Peak in 16 Years.
The number of state-sanctioned killings in the United States has dramatically increased in 2025, reaching a rate not seen in 16 years. This sharp uptick is linked to a concerted push to reinvigorate the death penalty, coupled with a notable shift in the approach of the nation's highest court toward last-minute appeals.
A Sobering Count: 47 Executions in a Single Year
A total of 47 men—each one were male—were put to death by individual states maintaining the death penalty in 2025. This figure is nearly twice the total from 2024, marking the highest annual total for capital punishment in the United States since 2009.
"Data indicates that the death penalty in 2025 is increasingly unpopular with the public even as politicians carry out death sentences in search of diminishing political benefits."
A Global Outlier
This sharp increase further separates the United States from nearly all other developed nations, almost none of which continue the practice. In recent years, only a handful of Asian nations have carried out executions among peer countries.
A Public Opinion Divide
The comeback of state killings clashes directly with long-term trends and modern public opinion. For years, 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 just over half of respondents in favor. A majority of citizens 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 aimed to ensure that statutes permitting capital punishment were "upheld and properly enforced," signaling a major shift 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," remarked a well-known activist against executions.
State-Level Frenzy
The federal push was mirrored and amplified at the state level. Florida became a notable outlier, 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 responsible for almost 75% of all deaths this year. In total, 12 states employed their execution facilities, up from nine states in 2024.
Evolving Methods
As more executions occurred, some states turned to increasingly extreme methods. One state concluded a long period without executions and followed another state's lead to use nitrogen gas as an means of execution. Witnesses reported the prisoner visibly shook for multiple minutes during the process.
In another development, a different state performed the initial use by firing squad in the US since 2010, deploying this approach for three of its total executions this year. Accounts suggested that in an instance, imprecise aim may have prolonged suffering for the condemned.
The Supreme Court's Role
The increase in death sentences carried out is also linked 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 last resort for appeals based on claims of innocence, constitutional arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "The system now functions without a safety net," commented a law professor. "Federal courts are supposed to serve as a backstop, but that stop gap has been removed."