Global executions surged by 78 percent in a single year, reaching their highest level since 1981, according to a new report by Amnesty International published on Sunday. The human rights organization documented a dramatic increase in state-sanctioned killings across multiple continents, with Iran, Saudi Arabia, China and the United States identified as the primary drivers of what Amnesty called an alarming spike in the use of the death penalty.
The report details a disturbing variety of execution methods still in use around the world, including beheadings, public hangings, lethal injections and firing squads. Saudi Arabia carried out a significant number of executions by beheading, while Iran conducted public hangings that were often broadcast on state media. The data does not include China, which classifies its execution figures as state secrets, but Amnesty estimates that Beijing puts to death more people annually than the rest of the world combined.
In the United States, executions nearly doubled compared to the previous year, driven by a resumption of federal executions and an increase in state-level capital punishment. Several states that had paused executions in recent years restarted them, while new execution protocols using nitrogen hypoxia drew criticism from medical professionals and human rights groups who argue the method amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.
Iran remains the country with the most documented executions, with the Islamic Republic putting to death hundreds of individuals, many for drug-related offenses. Amnesty noted that the ongoing Iran war and the associated security crackdown have been used to justify an expansion of capital punishment against political dissidents, protesters and ethnic minorities. The organization called on the international community to pressure Tehran to halt what it described as a killing spree.
The NPR report highlighted that the global trend runs counter to the long-term decline in death penalty use that characterized the late 20th and early 21st centuries. For decades, the number of countries carrying out executions had been shrinking as more nations abolished capital punishment in law or practice. The 2025 figures suggest that this trend has not only stalled but reversed, with geopolitical instability and rising authoritarianism contributing to the resurgence.
European nations, which have largely abolished the death penalty, were among the most vocal critics of the Amnesty report. German media outlets Tagesschau and Tagesspiegel led their coverage with the 78 percent increase figure, framing it as evidence that human rights protections are eroding worldwide. The European Union reiterated its call for a universal moratorium on executions, describing the practice as incompatible with human dignity.
Amnesty International Secretary General called on governments to recognize that the death penalty has never been shown to deter crime more effectively than other punishments, and that its application is inevitably marked by discrimination, error, and political manipulation. The organization urged countries still carrying out executions to join the more than 140 nations that have abolished or suspended the practice.
The report lands at a politically sensitive moment, with several countries debating expansions of their death penalty statutes. In the United States, the debate over capital punishment has intensified ahead of the midterm elections, with some candidates running on explicitly pro-execution platforms. The Amnesty findings provide ammunition for abolitionists but are unlikely to sway opinion in countries where public support for the death penalty remains high.