Executions Worldwide Hit Highest Level Since 1981, Amnesty International Reports

London – The number of executions carried out worldwide surged to its highest level in more than four decades in 2025, according to Amnesty International’s annual report on the death penalty.
At least 2,707 people were put to death across 17 countries last year, marking a dramatic 78% increase from the 1,518 executions recorded in 2024. This is the highest figure documented by the human rights organization since 1981, when 3,191 executions were recorded.
The sharp rise was driven largely by Iran, which accounted for the vast majority of executions. Iranian authorities executed more than 2,150 people in 2025 — a staggering increase from previous years. Other countries with notable execution figures included Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United States, though China is believed to carry out thousands more annually, with figures kept secret by the state.
Amnesty International described the global trend as part of a broader pattern where governments are increasingly using the death penalty as a “tool of fear” to assert control, suppress dissent, and project strength amid security concerns and political pressures.
“Executions are not a solution to crime or a deterrent — they are a cruel and irreversible punishment that violates the right to life,” an Amnesty spokesperson said in the report.
Despite the rise in executions, the number of countries actively carrying them out remains near historic lows, with nearly three-quarters of the world’s nations having abolished the death penalty in law or practice.