US Executions Skyrocketed in 2025 to Peak in Over a Decade and a Half.

The count of state-sanctioned killings in the United States has dramatically increased in 2025, hitting a rate not seen in since 2009. This sharp uptick is linked to a focused campaign to revive the death penalty, coupled 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

Exactly 47 men—all of whom were male—were executed by states that utilize the death penalty this year. This figure represents nearly twice the total from the previous year, constituting the most active period for capital punishment in the United States since 2009.

"The evidence shows that the death penalty in 2025 is increasingly unpopular with the public even as politicians carry out death sentences in search of waning political benefits."

An International Exception

This pronounced rise further separates the US from nearly all other advanced economies, almost none of which still carry out executions. In recent years, just a handful of Asian nations have carried out capital punishment among similarly developed states.

A Public Opinion Divide

The comeback of executions stands in stark contrast with broader patterns and current public sentiment. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in gradual decline. Meanwhile, surveys indicate support for capital punishment for those convicted of murder has fallen to a 50-year low, with 52% of Americans in favor. A majority of adults under the age of 55 now are against it.

Executive Action Sets the Tone

On his inauguration day back in office, the sitting President issued an executive order titled "Reinstating Capital Punishment." This order sought to guarantee that statutes permitting 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—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 echoed and amplified at the level of individual states. Florida became a notable outlier, conducting 19 executions in 2025—a dramatic increase from just one the year before. This broke the state's previous record.

Alongside several other southern states, these a quartet of jurisdictions were the source of almost three-quarters of all executions this year. In total, a dozen states employed their death chambers, up from nine in 2024.

Evolving Methods

As more executions occurred, some states turned to more controversial methods. One state ended a long period without executions and followed another state's lead to use nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method. Observers reported the prisoner visibly shook for several minutes during the procedure.

In another development, South Carolina carried out the first execution by firing squad in the US since 2010, using this method for three of its total 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 executions 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 final avenue for appeals based on claims of innocence, constitutional arguments, or allegations of cruel punishment. "The system now functions lacking a crucial backup," commented a legal scholar. "Federal courts are supposed to serve as a backstop, but that safeguard has been removed."