US Executions Skyrocketed in the Past Year to Peak in Over a Decade and a Half.
The number of state-sanctioned killings in the US has sharply risen in 2025, reaching a level not seen in 16 years. This surge is attributed to a focused campaign to revive judicial killings, combined with a notable shift in the approach of the US Supreme Court toward last-minute appeals.
A Sobering Count: 47 Executions in a Single Year
A total of 47 individuals—each one were male—were put to death by individual states maintaining the death penalty this year. This number represents nearly twice the total from the previous year, constituting the most active period 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 developed nations, almost none of which continue the practice. In recent years, only a handful of Asian nations have carried out executions 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. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in a steady decrease. At the same time, polling indicate support for capital punishment for murder convictions has fallen to a 50-year low, with just over half of Americans in favor. Most of citizens under the age of 55 now are against it.
Presidential Influence
On his first day back in office, the President issued an presidential directive titled "Reinstating Capital Punishment." This order sought to guarantee 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—the idea is to use harsh measures to solve social problems," remarked a prominent anti-death penalty advocate.
State-Level Frenzy
The federal push was mirrored and amplified at the state level. Florida emerged as a particular outlier, conducting 19 executions in 2025—a dramatic increase from just one the previous year. This shattered the state's previous record.
Alongside Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, these four states were the source of almost 75% of all deaths this year. In total, 12 states employed their execution facilities, up from nine in 2024.
More Extreme Execution Protocols
As more executions occurred, some states turned to more controversial methods. One state ended a long period without executions and became the second state to use nitrogen gas as an means of execution. Observers reported the prisoner convulsed for several minutes during the procedure.
Meanwhile, South Carolina performed the initial use by a squad of shooters in the US since 2010, deploying this approach for three of its five executions this year. Reports suggested that in one case, faulty targeting may have caused extended agony for the individual.
A Changed Judicial Landscape
The surge in executions is also linked to the position of the US Supreme Court. The court's conservative majority rejected all applications 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 legal challenges based on innocence claims, constitutional arguments, or allegations of cruel punishment. "We’re now operating without a safety net," commented a legal scholar. "The judiciary are meant to act as a final check, but that safeguard has been removed."