American Executions Surged in the Past Year to Peak in 16 Years.

The count of executions in the United States has sharply risen in 2025, reaching a level not seen in 16 years. This sharp uptick is linked to a focused campaign to reinvigorate the death penalty, combined with a significant change in the approach of the nation's highest court toward last-minute appeals.

A Grim Tally: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year

Exactly 47 individuals—each one were male—were put to death by states that utilize the death penalty in 2025. This number represents nearly double the count from the previous year, constituting the most active period for executions in the country since 2009.

"The evidence shows that the death penalty in 2025 is growing less popular with the American people even as elected officials schedule executions in search of waning political benefits."

A Global Outlier

This pronounced rise further separates the US from most other advanced economies, almost none of which still carry out executions. Currently, only Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have carried out capital punishment among peer countries.

A Public Opinion Divide

The comeback of executions clashes directly with long-term trends and current public sentiment. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in gradual decline. At the same time, polling indicate support for capital punishment for murder convictions has reached a half-century low, with 52% of respondents in favor. Most of citizens under the age of 55 now oppose it.

Presidential Influence

On his inauguration day back in office, the sitting President issued an executive order titled "Restoring the Death Penalty." This order sought to ensure that statutes permitting 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.

A Surge in State Executions

The federal push was mirrored and amplified at the state level. Florida emerged as a notable extreme case, conducting 19 executions in 2025—a staggering increase from just one the year before. This broke the state's previous record.

Together with several other southern states, these a quartet of jurisdictions were responsible for almost 75% of all deaths this year. Overall, a dozen states employed their death chambers, up from nine in 2024.

More Extreme Execution Protocols

As more executions occurred, some states turned to increasingly extreme techniques. Louisiana ended a 15-year hiatus and followed another state's lead to employ nitrogen hypoxia as an means of execution. Observers reported the prisoner visibly shook for several minutes during the process.

Meanwhile, South Carolina carried out the initial use by a squad of shooters in the US since 2010, deploying this approach for three of its total executions this year. Reports suggested that in one case, imprecise aim may have prolonged suffering for the individual.

The Supreme Court's Role

The surge in death sentences carried out is also connected to the position of the US Supreme Court. The court's conservative majority denied every request to stay 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 appeals based on claims of innocence, rights-based arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "We’re now operating without a safety net," commented a legal scholar. "Federal courts are meant to act as a final check, but that stop gap has been removed."