The count of executions in the US has dramatically increased in 2025, hitting a rate not seen in 16 years. This sharp uptick is attributed to a concerted push to reinvigorate the death penalty, combined with a significant change in the stance of the US Supreme Court toward eleventh-hour pleas.
A Sobering Count: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year
A total of 47 individuals—all of whom were male—were executed by individual states maintaining the death penalty this year. This figure is nearly twice the total from the previous year, marking the most active period for executions in the country in 16 years.
"Data indicates that the death penalty in 2025 is increasingly unpopular with the American people even as politicians schedule executions in search of diminishing political benefits."
An International Exception
This pronounced rise further separates the United States from nearly all other advanced economies, almost none of which still carry out executions. In recent years, only a handful of Asian nations have conducted capital punishment among similarly developed states.
A Public Opinion Divide
The resurgence 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 a steady decrease. At the same time, surveys indicate approval of capital punishment for those convicted of murder has reached a half-century low, with just over half of Americans in favor. A majority 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 "Reinstating Capital Punishment." This order sought to guarantee that statutes permitting 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," stated a well-known anti-death penalty advocate.
A Surge in State Executions
The federal push was mirrored and intensified at the level of individual states. The state of Florida became a notable outlier, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a staggering increase from just one the previous year. This broke the state's prior annual record.
Alongside several other southern states, these a quartet of jurisdictions were the source of almost three-quarters of all deaths this year. In total, 12 states actively used their execution facilities, up from nine states in 2024.
More Extreme Execution Protocols
As more executions occurred, some states adopted more controversial methods. Louisiana concluded a long period without executions 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.
Meanwhile, South Carolina carried out the first execution by firing squad in the US since 2010, deploying this approach for three of its five executions this year. Reports suggested that in one case, faulty targeting may have prolonged suffering for the condemned.
The Supreme Court's Role
The increase in executions is also linked to the posture of the nation's highest court. The majority-conservative bench denied every request to stay 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 legal challenges based on claims of innocence, constitutional arguments, or allegations of cruel punishment. "We’re now operating lacking a crucial backup," noted a legal scholar. "Federal courts are supposed to serve as a final check, but that stop gap has been eviscerated."
