US Capital Punishment Cases Surged in the Past Year to Highest Level in 16 Years.
The count of executions in the US has sharply risen in 2025, reaching a level not seen in 16 years. This surge is attributed to a focused campaign to revive the death penalty, coupled with a significant change in the stance of the US Supreme Court toward last-minute appeals.
A Grim Tally: Nearly 50 Deaths in a Single Year
A total of 47 men—all of whom were male—were put to death by states maintaining the death penalty in 2025. This number represents nearly twice the total from 2024, constituting 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 public even as elected officials carry out death sentences in search of diminishing political benefits."
A Global Outlier
This pronounced rise further isolates the US from nearly all other advanced economies, almost none of which continue the practice. Currently, just a handful of Asian nations have conducted capital punishment among similarly developed states.
A Public Opinion Divide
The resurgence 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 murder convictions has fallen to a 50-year low, with 52% of respondents in favor. Most of citizens under the age of 55 now are against it.
Presidential Influence
On his inauguration day back in office, the President issued an presidential directive titled "Restoring the Death Penalty." This order sought to guarantee that statutes permitting capital punishment were "respected and faithfully implemented," marking a clear change 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 prominent activist against executions.
A Surge in State Executions
The federal push was mirrored and amplified at the level of individual states. Florida became a notable outlier, carrying out 19 executions in 2025—a dramatic increase from just one the year before. This shattered the state's previous record.
Together with Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas, 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.
Evolving Methods
As activity increased, some states adopted more controversial methods. Louisiana ended a 15-year hiatus and became the second state to use nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method. Witnesses reported the condemned individual convulsed for multiple minutes during the process.
Meanwhile, South Carolina performed the initial use by a squad of shooters in the US since 2010, using this method for three of its total executions this year. Accounts suggested that in one case, imprecise aim may have prolonged suffering for the individual.
A Changed Judicial Landscape
The increase in death sentences carried out is also connected to the posture of the nation's highest court. The court's conservative majority denied every request to stay an execution in 2025, a notable demonstration of judicial disengagement.
This marks a change from the court's historical role as a last resort for appeals based on innocence claims, constitutional arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "The system now functions lacking a crucial backup," noted a legal scholar. "Federal courts are meant to act as a backstop, but that stop gap has been eviscerated."
