The number of US executions had dwindled. Last year, that all changed

The United States saw a significant surge in executions last year, with 47 carried out in 2025, up from 25 in 2024. This increase was largely driven by Florida, which conducted 40% of the year's executions. The Pentagon announced plans to conduct its first firing squad execution since World War II, with the procedure to be live-streamed.

This announcement came just days after the botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennessee, the first person to survive a lethal injection since the procedure was reinstated in 2021. The number of Americans supporting the death penalty had reached a five-decade low of 52% in late 2025, according to Gallup, with opposition to the practice at its highest level since 1966.

Despite this shift, a separate Pew Research Center poll found that nearly two-thirds of respondents supported the death penalty for those convicted of murder. The US Supreme Court denied all stay requests for executions throughout 2025, and former President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 of the 40 prisoners on federal death row in the final weeks of his administration.

The increase in executions was attributed to a handful of governments worldwide determined to rule by fear, with Iran executing the most at 2,159. Amnesty International condemned the US government's lack of regard for human life and dignity, particularly in the botched execution of Christa Pike and the planned live-streamed firing squad execution.