American Executions Skyrocketed in the Past Year to Peak in Over a Decade and a Half.

The number of state-sanctioned killings in the United States has sharply risen in 2025, hitting a level not seen in since 2009. This sharp uptick is attributed to a focused campaign to reinvigorate the death penalty, coupled with a significant change in the stance of the US Supreme Court toward last-minute appeals.

A Sobering Count: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year

A total of 47 individuals—all of whom were male—were executed by states maintaining the death penalty in 2025. This figure is nearly double the total from 2024, marking the most active period for executions 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 separates the US from nearly all other advanced economies, almost none of which still carry out executions. Currently, just a handful of Asian nations have conducted executions among similarly developed states.

A Public Opinion Divide

The resurgence of state killings clashes directly with long-term trends and modern public opinion. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in a steady decrease. Meanwhile, polling indicate support for capital punishment for those convicted of murder has fallen to a 50-year low, with just over half of Americans in favor. Most of citizens under the age of 55 now oppose it.

Presidential Influence

On his first day back in office, the President issued an presidential directive titled "Reinstating Capital Punishment." This order aimed to ensure that statutes permitting capital punishment were "respected and faithfully implemented," signaling a major shift from the previous presidency.

"It’s in the air, it’s in the national rhetoric sent down from the top—the idea is to use harsh measures to solve social problems," stated a well-known activist against executions.

A Surge in State Executions

The national initiative was echoed and amplified at the state level. The state of Florida emerged as a particular outlier, conducting 19 executions in 2025—a dramatic increase from just one the year before. This broke the state's prior annual record.

Together with several other southern states, these a quartet of jurisdictions were the source of almost three-quarters 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 15-year hiatus and followed another state's lead to employ nitrogen hypoxia as an means of execution. Witnesses reported the condemned individual convulsed for several minutes during the process.

Meanwhile, a different state performed 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, faulty targeting may have prolonged suffering for the individual.

A Changed Judicial Landscape

The increase in executions is also connected to the posture of the US Supreme Court. The majority-conservative bench rejected all applications to halt an execution in 2025, a rare display of reluctance to intervene.

This marks a change from the court's traditional function as a final avenue for appeals based on claims of innocence, rights-based arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "The system now functions lacking a crucial backup," commented a legal scholar. "The judiciary are supposed to serve as a final check, but that safeguard has been eviscerated."