The count of executions in the United States has dramatically increased in 2025, hitting a rate not seen in since 2009. This sharp uptick is attributed to a focused campaign to reinvigorate the death penalty, combined with a notable shift in the approach of the US Supreme Court toward eleventh-hour pleas.
A total of 47 men—each one were male—were executed by states maintaining the death penalty this year. This number represents nearly double the total from the previous year, marking the most active period for capital punishment in the country since 2009.
"The evidence shows that the death penalty in 2025 is increasingly unpopular with the American people even as elected officials carry out death sentences in search of waning political benefits."
This sharp increase further isolates the United States from most other developed nations, very few of which still carry out executions. Currently, just a handful of Asian nations have carried out executions among peer countries.
The resurgence of executions 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, polling indicate support for capital punishment for murder convictions has fallen to a 50-year low, with 52% of Americans in favor. A majority of citizens under the age of 55 now oppose it.
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 "upheld and properly enforced," signaling a major shift from the prior administration.
"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," stated a well-known anti-death penalty advocate.
The federal push was echoed and intensified at the state level. The state of Florida became a notable outlier, conducting 19 executions in 2025—a dramatic increase from just one the previous year. This shattered 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, a dozen states actively used their death chambers, up from nine in 2024.
As activity increased, some states adopted more controversial methods. Louisiana ended a long period without executions and became the second state to use nitrogen hypoxia as an means of execution. Witnesses reported the prisoner convulsed for several minutes during the process.
Meanwhile, a different state carried out the initial use by a squad of shooters in the US since 2010, deploying this approach for three of its five executions this year. Accounts suggested that in one case, faulty targeting may have prolonged suffering for the individual.
The increase in death sentences carried out is also connected to the posture of the nation's highest court. The majority-conservative bench denied every request to halt an execution in 2025, a notable demonstration of judicial disengagement.
This marks a change from the court's historical role as a final avenue for legal challenges based on claims of innocence, constitutional arguments, or charges of excessive cruelty. "We’re now operating without a safety net," noted a legal scholar. "The judiciary are supposed to serve as a backstop, but that stop gap has been removed."
Lena Hoffmann is a seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter, specializing in German current affairs and digital media trends.
