Amnesty reports record 2,707 executions in 2025 across 17 countries

Global executions reached their highest recorded level in over four decades last year, according to a new report from Amnesty International. The organization documented at least 2,707 executions across 17 countries in 2025, a sharp increase from the 1,518 recorded in 2024. This figure does not include China, which is believed to execute thousands of people annually but treats the data as a state secret.

Iran was responsible for the overwhelming majority of these executions, carrying out at least 2,159 death sentences. This number more than doubled from the previous year and represents the country's highest total in decades. Saudi Arabia also escalated its use of capital punishment, recording at least 356 executions. Together, the two nations accounted for 93 percent of all known executions globally.

Amnesty International stated that the surge is linked to governments using the death penalty to project authority and suppress dissent. The report noted that nearly half of all known executions worldwide were for drug-related offenses, with Iran and Saudi Arabia accounting for a significant portion of these. Methods of execution documented included hanging, beheading, shooting,...