US Capital Punishment Cases Skyrocketed in 2025 to Peak in 16 Years.
The number of executions in the US has sharply risen in 2025, hitting a level not seen in 16 years. This sharp uptick is linked to a concerted push to reinvigorate the death penalty, coupled with a notable shift in the approach of the nation's highest court toward last-minute appeals.
A Sobering Count: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year
Exactly 47 individuals—all of whom were male—were executed by states maintaining the death penalty this year. This figure is nearly twice the total from the previous year, marking the highest annual total for capital punishment in the United States since 2009.
"Data indicates that the death penalty in 2025 is increasingly unpopular with the public even as elected officials carry out death sentences in search of diminishing political benefits."
An International Exception
This sharp increase further separates the US from nearly all other advanced economies, very few of which continue the practice. Currently, just a handful of Asian nations have carried out executions among peer countries.
Contradictory Trends
The comeback of state killings 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 gradual decline. 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 adults 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 guarantee that laws authorizing capital punishment were "upheld and properly enforced," signaling a major shift from the previous presidency.
"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 well-known anti-death penalty advocate.
A Surge in State Executions
The national initiative was echoed and amplified at the level of individual states. Florida emerged as a notable extreme case, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a staggering increase from just one the previous year. This broke the state's prior annual record.
Together with several other southern states, these four states were responsible for almost three-quarters of all deaths this year. Overall, 12 states employed their execution facilities, up from nine in 2024.
More Extreme Execution Protocols
As activity increased, some states adopted more controversial methods. Louisiana concluded a long period without executions and became the second state to use nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method. Observers reported the condemned individual convulsed for several minutes during the procedure.
In another development, South Carolina carried out the first execution by a squad of shooters in the US since 2010, using this method for three of its five executions this year. Accounts suggested that in one case, imprecise aim may have caused extended agony for the individual.
The Supreme Court's Role
The surge in executions is also linked to the posture of the nation's highest court. The majority-conservative bench rejected all applications to stay 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 appeals based on innocence claims, constitutional arguments, or allegations of cruel punishment. "We’re now operating lacking a crucial backup," noted a law professor. "The judiciary are supposed to serve as a backstop, but that stop gap has been eviscerated."
