The count of executions in the United States has sharply risen in 2025, hitting a level not seen in since 2009. This surge is linked to a focused campaign to reinvigorate judicial killings, coupled with a notable shift in the stance of the nation's highest court toward eleventh-hour pleas.
A Grim Tally: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year
Exactly 47 men—each one were male—were put to death by states that utilize the death penalty in 2025. This figure is nearly twice the count from the previous year, marking the highest annual total for capital punishment in the country since 2009.
"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 diminishing political benefits."
A Global Outlier
This sharp increase further isolates the US from most other advanced economies, very few of which still carry out executions. Currently, only Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have conducted capital punishment among similarly developed states.
A Public Opinion Divide
The resurgence of state killings clashes directly with broader patterns and modern public opinion. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in a steady decrease. At the same time, surveys indicate support for capital punishment for those convicted of murder has reached a half-century low, with 52% of Americans 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 presidential directive titled "Reinstating Capital Punishment." This order aimed to ensure that laws authorizing capital punishment were "upheld and properly enforced," marking a clear change from the prior administration.
"It’s in the air, it’s in the national rhetoric sent down from the top—you use violence and cruelty to solve social problems," remarked a prominent anti-death penalty advocate.
State-Level Frenzy
The federal push was mirrored and intensified at the state level. Florida emerged as a notable 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.
Together with Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, these four states were responsible for almost 75% of all executions this year. In total, 12 states employed their death chambers, up from nine in 2024.
More Extreme Execution Protocols
As activity increased, some states turned to more controversial techniques. Louisiana ended a long period without executions and became the second state to employ nitrogen hypoxia as an means of execution. Witnesses reported the condemned individual convulsed for multiple minutes during the process.
Meanwhile, South Carolina performed 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 one case, imprecise aim may have caused extended agony for the individual.
A Changed Judicial Landscape
The increase in death sentences carried out 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 rare display of judicial disengagement.
This marks a change from the court's traditional function as a final avenue for legal challenges based on innocence claims, constitutional arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "We’re now operating without a safety net," noted a law professor. "The judiciary are supposed to serve as a backstop, but that safeguard has been eviscerated."
