Global Executions Reach 40-Year High, Iran Tops the List in 2025

Amnesty International reports at least 2,707 executions worldwide in 2025, marking the highest annual total since 1981. Iran led with 2,159 deaths, more than double its 2024 figure. The rights group links the surge in Iran to a crackdown following the June conflict with Israel. Many of the executions targeted anti-government protesters and members of banned organisations. Amnesty warned that shrinking civic space and political repression drove the uptick. Other countries also recorded rises: Saudi Arabia carried out 356 executions, the highest since records began; the United States executed 47 people, its highest total since 2009; Singapore had 17; Egypt 23; and Yemen 51. China remains the world’s leading executioner, though its figures are shrouded in secrecy, according to the report.

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