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

The number of state-sanctioned killings in the US has sharply risen in 2025, hitting a level not seen in 16 years. This surge is linked to a concerted push to revive the death penalty, coupled with a notable shift in the approach of the US Supreme 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 this year. This number represents nearly twice the total from the previous year, marking the most active period for capital punishment in the United States 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 waning political benefits."

An International Exception

This pronounced rise further separates the United States 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 executions stands in stark contrast with broader patterns and modern public opinion. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in a steady decrease. Meanwhile, polling indicate approval of capital punishment for murder convictions has reached a half-century low, with just over half of Americans in favor. Most of citizens 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 ensure that laws authorizing capital punishment were "respected and faithfully implemented," signaling a major shift 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 national initiative was mirrored and intensified at the state level. Florida emerged as a notable outlier, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a staggering increase from just one the previous year. This broke the state's previous record.

Together with several other southern states, these four states were the source of almost 75% of all executions this year. Overall, a dozen states employed their execution facilities, up from nine in 2024.

More Extreme Execution Protocols

As activity increased, some states adopted more controversial methods. Louisiana ended a 15-year hiatus and followed another state's lead 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 one case, faulty targeting may have caused extended agony 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 halt an execution in 2025, a notable demonstration of reluctance to intervene.

This represents a shift from the court's traditional function as a final avenue for appeals based on innocence claims, rights-based arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "The system now functions without a safety net," noted a legal scholar. "The judiciary are meant to act as a backstop, but that safeguard has been removed."