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

The number of state-sanctioned killings in the United States has sharply risen in 2025, reaching 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 stance of the nation's highest court toward last-minute appeals.

A Sobering Count: 47 Executions in a Single Year

Exactly 47 men—all of whom were male—were executed by individual states maintaining the death penalty in 2025. This number is nearly double the total from the previous year, marking the most active period for capital punishment in the country in 16 years.

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

A Global Outlier

This sharp increase further isolates the United States from nearly all other advanced economies, almost none of which continue the practice. In recent years, only Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have conducted capital punishment among peer countries.

A Public Opinion Divide

The resurgence of executions clashes directly with long-term trends and current public sentiment. For years, the use of the death penalty had been in gradual decline. At the same time, surveys indicate approval of capital punishment for murder convictions has reached a half-century low, with 52% of Americans in favor. Most of adults under the age of 55 now are against it.

Executive Action Sets the Tone

On his inauguration day back in office, the President issued an presidential directive titled "Restoring the Death Penalty." This order sought to ensure that statutes permitting capital punishment were "upheld and properly enforced," signaling a major shift from the previous presidency.

"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.

A Surge in State Executions

The federal push was mirrored and intensified at the level of individual states. Florida emerged as a particular outlier, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a staggering increase from just one the year before. This shattered the state's previous record.

Together with several other southern states, these four states were responsible for almost 75% of all deaths this year. In total, 12 states employed their execution facilities, up from nine states in 2024.

More Extreme Execution Protocols

As activity increased, some states turned to more controversial techniques. One state ended a 15-year hiatus and became the second state to employ nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method. Observers reported the condemned individual visibly shook for multiple minutes during the procedure.

In another development, South Carolina performed the first execution by firing squad in the US since 2010, using this method for three of its five executions this year. Reports suggested that in an instance, faulty targeting may have prolonged suffering for the individual.

The Supreme Court's Role

The increase in death sentences carried out is also connected to the posture of the nation's highest court. The majority-conservative bench rejected all applications to halt 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 legal challenges based on claims of innocence, constitutional arguments, or allegations of cruel punishment. "We’re now operating without a safety net," commented a law professor. "The judiciary are meant to act as a final check, but that stop gap has been eviscerated."