The count of state-sanctioned killings 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 judicial killings, combined with a notable shift in the approach of the nation's highest court toward eleventh-hour pleas.
A Sobering Count: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year
A total of 47 men—all of whom were male—were put to death by individual states maintaining the death penalty this year. This number represents nearly twice the count from 2024, marking the highest annual total for executions in the country in 16 years.
"Data indicates that the death penalty in 2025 is growing less popular with the American people even as politicians schedule executions in search of waning political benefits."
An International Exception
This sharp increase further isolates the United States from most other advanced economies, almost none of which continue the practice. In recent years, just a handful of Asian nations have carried out capital punishment among peer countries.
Contradictory Trends
The resurgence of state killings clashes directly with long-term trends and current public sentiment. Over the past two decades, the use of the death penalty had been in gradual decline. Meanwhile, surveys indicate approval of capital punishment for those convicted of murder has reached a half-century low, with just over half of respondents 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 President issued an presidential directive titled "Restoring the Death Penalty." This order sought to ensure that statutes permitting capital punishment were "upheld and properly enforced," signaling a major shift from the prior administration.
"The tone is set, the national dialogue sent down from the top—the idea is to use harsh measures to solve social problems," remarked a well-known activist against executions.
State-Level Frenzy
The national initiative was echoed and intensified at the state level. The state of Florida became a notable extreme case, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a dramatic increase from just one the previous year. This broke the state's prior annual record.
Alongside several other southern states, these four states were the source of almost 75% of all deaths this year. Overall, 12 states actively used their execution facilities, up from nine states in 2024.
Evolving Methods
As more executions occurred, some states turned to increasingly extreme techniques. Louisiana concluded a long period without executions and followed another state's lead to employ nitrogen gas as an execution method. Witnesses reported the condemned individual convulsed for several minutes during the procedure.
In another development, a different state 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 condemned.
A Changed Judicial Landscape
The surge in executions is also linked to the posture of the US Supreme Court. The majority-conservative bench rejected all applications to stay an execution in 2025, a notable demonstration of judicial disengagement.
This marks a change from the court's traditional function as a final avenue for legal challenges based on claims of innocence, rights-based arguments, or allegations of cruel punishment. "The system now functions without a safety net," commented a law professor. "The judiciary are supposed to serve as a backstop, but that safeguard has been eviscerated."
