US Executions Surged in the Past Year to Highest Level in Over a Decade and a Half.

The count of state-sanctioned killings in the United States has sharply risen in 2025, reaching a rate not seen in 16 years. This surge is linked to a focused campaign to reinvigorate judicial killings, combined with a notable shift in the approach of the US Supreme Court toward eleventh-hour pleas.

A Grim Tally: 47 Executions in a Single Year

Exactly 47 men—all of whom were male—were put to death by states that utilize the death penalty this year. This number represents nearly double the count from the previous year, marking the most active period for executions in the United States in 16 years.

"The evidence shows that the death penalty in 2025 is growing less popular with the American people even as elected officials carry out death sentences in search of diminishing political benefits."

An International Exception

This pronounced rise further isolates the US from nearly all other developed nations, very few of which still carry out executions. In recent years, just Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have carried out capital punishment among similarly developed states.

A Public Opinion Divide

The comeback of state killings clashes directly 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 approval of capital punishment for those convicted of murder has fallen to a 50-year low, with just over half of respondents 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 executive order titled "Reinstating Capital Punishment." This order sought to ensure that laws authorizing capital punishment were "upheld and properly enforced," marking a clear change from the previous presidency.

"The tone is set, the national dialogue sent down from the top—you use violence and cruelty to solve social problems," remarked a prominent activist against executions.

State-Level Frenzy

The national initiative was echoed and intensified at the level of individual states. The state of Florida became a particular extreme case, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a staggering increase from just one the previous year. This shattered the state's prior annual record.

Alongside several other southern states, these four states were the source of almost 75% of all deaths this year. Overall, 12 states actively used their execution facilities, up from nine in 2024.

More Extreme Execution Protocols

As more executions occurred, some states adopted more controversial methods. One state ended a long period without executions and followed another state's lead to employ nitrogen gas as an execution method. Observers reported the prisoner convulsed for multiple minutes during the procedure.

In another development, South Carolina carried out the initial use 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, faulty targeting may have prolonged suffering for the condemned.

The Supreme Court's Role

The surge 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 judicial disengagement.

This marks a change from the court's historical role as a final avenue for legal challenges based on innocence claims, rights-based arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "We’re now operating lacking a crucial backup," noted a law professor. "The judiciary are supposed to serve as a final check, but that stop gap has been removed."