Iran drives record surge in global executions in 2025

Amnesty International’s 2025 report recorded 2,707 executions worldwide, the highest total since 1981 and a 78% increase over 2024. Iran was responsible for at least 2,159 of those deaths – roughly 80% of the global count – doubling its 972 executions the previous year. Saudi Arabia ranked second with at least 356 executions, followed by Yemen (≥51), the United States (47), Egypt (23) and a handful of other nations.

The report notes that the figures do not include China, where thousands of executions are believed to occur annually, nor does it capture possible executions linked to recent protests and unrest in the Middle East. Amnesty’s secretary‑general described the use of capital punishment as “a weapon of fear” employed by authoritarian regimes to suppress dissent. While the overall number of countries that retain the death penalty remains high, some progress was noted: Vietnam abolished it for eight offenses and Ghana eliminated it for several crimes, with abolition bills pending in Lebanon and Nigeria.

The data highlights an alarming resurgence of state‑sanctioned killings, especially in Iran, amid heightened geopolitical tensions and domestic crackdowns.