Overview
- Amnesty International's report published Monday puts 2025 executions at least at 2,707, the highest since 1981 and a 78% jump from 2024.
- Iran accounted for at least 2,159 executions, which Amnesty links to intensified repression after the June 2025 war with Israel and to prosecutions tied to early 2026 protests.
- Nearly half of all known executions, 1,257 in total, were for drug offenses concentrated in Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, Kuwait and Singapore.
- Saudi Arabia recorded at least 356 executions and the United States carried out 47, with Florida responsible for 19, while Kuwait, Egypt and Singapore also posted sharp increases.
- The global tally excludes thousands believed to have occurred in China due to state secrecy, so Amnesty treats the reported total as a minimum.