Overview
- Amnesty International’s annual review, released Monday, confirms at least 2,707 executions in 2025, more than double 2024 and the highest recorded since 1981.
- Iran accounted for at least 2,159 executions, which Amnesty links to intensified political repression, marking the country’s highest total in decades.
- Other sharp increases included Saudi Arabia at least 356, Kuwait 17, Egypt 23, Singapore 17, and the United States 47, with Florida responsible for 19.
- Nearly half of all known deaths, 1,257 in total, were for drug offences, led by Iran with 998 and Saudi Arabia with 240 after tougher anti-drug enforcement.
- Amnesty says the true global figure is likely higher because China withholds execution data, and only 16 of the UN’s 193 member states carried out executions in 2025.